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Front row, from left: Grace Julieano, Ahna Balcom, Emily Glasier. Back Row: Grand Knight Jacob Levesque, Council 230; District Deputy George Anderson; Grand Knight Jack Laviolette, Council 103. Cliff Flynn of Lenox, not pictured, also won his age group.
Updated March 12, 2018 09:06PM

Three from County Win Age Groups at Regional Free Throw Contest

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WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- On Saturday, nine Berkshire County competitors represented local councils from towns of Adams, Cheshire, Dalton, Pittsfield, Lenox and Lee competed at the Western Mass Regional Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship at St. Thomas the Apostle School.

Ahna Balcom of Council No. 103 from Pittsfield and Grace Julieano and Cliff Flynn of of Council 314 of Lenox each won their age group and will represent Berkshire County at the State Championship this year.

Emily Glasier of Cheshire, who represented Council No. 230 of Northern Berkshire, placed second in her division at the regional competition.

The state tournament will be held Saturday, April 14, at Anna Maria College in Paxton.

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Dalton Man Accused of Kidnapping, Shooting Pittsfield Man

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Dalton man was arrested on Thursday evening after allegedly kidnapping and shooting another man.

Nicholas Lighten, 35, was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Friday on multiple charges including kidnapping with a firearm and armed assault with intent to murder. He was booked in Dalton around 11:45 p.m. the previous night.

There was heavy police presence Thursday night in the area of Lighten's East Housatonic Street home before his arrest.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Dalton dispatch received a call from the Pittsfield Police Department requesting that an officer respond to Berkshire Medical Center. Adrian Mclaughlin of Pittsfield claimed that he was shot in the leg by Lighten after an altercation at the defendants home. Mclaughlin drove himself to the hospital and was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries. 

"We were told that Lighten told Adrian to go down to his basement, where he told Adrian to get down on his knees and pulled out a chain," the police report reads.

"We were told that throughout the struggle with Lighten, Adrian recalls three gunshots."

Dalton PD was advised that Pittsfield had swabbed Mclaughlin for DNA because he reported biting Lighten. A bite mark was later found on Lighten's shoulder. 

Later that night, the victim reportedly was "certain, very certain" that Lighten was his assailant when shown a photo array at the hospital.

According to Dalton Police, an officer was stationed near Lighten's house in an unmarked vehicle and instructed to call over the radio if he left the residence. The Berkshire County Special Response Team was also contacted.

Lighten was under surveillance at his home from about 7:50 p.m. to about 8:40 p.m. when he left the property in a vehicle with Massachusetts plates. Another officer initiated a high-risk motor vehicle stop with the sergeant and response team just past Mill Street on West Housatonic Street, police said, and traffic was stopped on both sides of the road.

Lighten and a passenger were removed from the vehicle and detained. Police reported finding items including a brass knuckle knife, three shell casings wrapped in a rubber glove, and a pair of rubber gloves on him.

The response team entered Lighten's home at 43 East Housatonic before 9:30 p.m. for a protective sweep and cleared the residence before 9:50 p.m., police said. The residence was secured for crime scene investigators.

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