Stamford Ice Dam Threatened Homes

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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An ice dam at the corner of Routes 8 and 100 flooded basement and forced a partial closure of the road.

STAMFORD, Vt. — Firefighters and town officials were dealing with an ice dam on Thursday morning at the intersection of Routes 8 and 100 that flooded nearby basements.

Warming temperatures filled a number of local rivers and creeks. The Roaring Brook was not only roaring, but filled with ice at about 6 a.m.

"When we arrived we found an ice jam about 100 yards up stream from the bridge," Fire Chief Paul Ethier explained in an email. "This caused water to be diverted over the north bank and was threatening to flood five homes."

Traffic was reduced to alternating one-way traffic for a short period while the state's Department of Transportation removed large chunks of ice from the roadway. Ethier said the Fire Department installed pumps in two homes to help remove water from their basements.

Select Board member Thomas Houghtaling said at first there was some indication that the state would also clear out the ice dam. But hours later, nothing had been done.

After conferring with board members and residents in the area, the town hired an excavater to chip away at the ice and clear the dam.



"It looked like a big pond on the northwest side of Route 100 there," Houghtaling said. "It was a big mess."

Houghtaling said similar ice jams had happened three times since he'd moved to Stamford six years ago. The town had appealed to the state to allow excavation in the brook to prevent the dams from occurring but was turned down.

"Unfortunately, it costs the taxpayers money every time they do this," he said.

Houghtaling thanked those homeowners who weren't flooded but who allowed the excavator into their back yards to help their neighbors.

"I feel sorry for the people who have to suffer the water in their basements this time of year," he said. "I really appreciate all the people who let us go through their yards. ... Everybody worked together to get it done."


Tags: firefighter,   flooding,   ice dam,   weather conditions,   

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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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