PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Law enforcement authorities are on the lookout for a House of Corrections inmate who overpowered a sheriff's deputy and fled while being treated at Berkshire Medical Center.

 

The man, who was being held by the Berkshire County Sheriff's Department for pretrial, took off wearing only a pair of orange inmate pants — no shirt, no shoes. 

 

The suspect, 33-year-old Harry Chandler, was arrested on several outstanding warrants on July 3, including failure to register as a sex offender. He escaped custody at about 2:07 p.m. Monday.

 

"He is a fugitive and he is at large so he is a concern," Sheriff Thomas Bowler said. 

 

Chandler has several violent offenses on his record and although not considered an immediate threat to the public, Bowler said he is "obviously a concern" because he is "unpredictable at this time with his emotions and his addiction."

 

"He's more of an immediate danger to himself than I think to the public," Bowler said. "He's in a bad way, he has a severe addiction. ...

 

"But obviously, we're concerned because he's at bay, he overpowered one of our officers at the hospital and was able to get free."

 

Anyone seeing Chandler should contact authorities immediately at 413-442-0512. .

 

Chandler was suffering from infections in his hands at the time of his arrest and was taken to BMC. 

 

"He needed medical treatment for infections to his hands down to at Berkshire Medical Center since the 3rd and he was getting released today to come back into our custody," the sheriff said. He did not know the immediate condition of the deputy, who was being treated at BMC. 

 

Chandler was being held on charges including breaking and entering, assaulting a police officer, drug possession, trespass, shoplifting, assault and batter with a dangerous weapon and failing to register as a sex offender. 

 

Pittsfield Police and sheriff's deputies were scouring the immediate area of the hospital and the Lanesborough Police Department was assisting. Bowler said other resources would be called upon as needed. He said Chandler's family has been cooperating with law enforcement.

 

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Harry Chandler should call the sheriff's department at 413-442-0512. 

 

Complete write-thru with updated information and quotes at 4:21 p.m.; more information added at 4:35 p.m. regarding threat to public and added photo.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield man was killed early Tuesday morning in a motor vehicle accident on West Housatonic Street. 

 

Michael Lamphear, 54, of East Housatonic Street was westbound on his motorcycle at about 7:48 a.m. when he collided with a Jeep pulling out of the intersection at Osceola Street. The sport utility vehicle was being driven by 25-year-old Abigail Hunt, who was not injured. 

 

The collision occurred in the westbound travel lane of West Housatonic Street. A section of the highway, Route 20, was closed to traffic and detoured. Eastbound tractor trailer units were detoured over Route 41 to West Street. The road was reopened about 1:44 p.m.

 

State Police detectives assigned to the Berkshire district attorney's office are investigating the fatal incident. 

 

Responding to the scene of the crash was Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington, the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the her office, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, as well as the State Police Crime Scene Services Section.

 

The Pittsfield Police Department's Traffic and Detective bureaus also responded, as did the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

ADAMS, Mass. — The Fire Department extinguished a vehicle fire on Howland Avenue late Monday morning.

 

According to and Adams Police Department's Facebook post. Adams Fire, Police, and ambulance responded to an older model white van fully engulfed in flames near Specialty Minerals just before noon Monday.

 

The post said there were no injuries and extended a thank you to an off-duty North Adams firefighter who stopped to assist the driver and Specialty Minerals employees who were on scene with fire extinguishers.

 

Once police secured the area,  firefighters successfully put out the blaze.

 

The incident is under investigation.