Lee man fined for failure to register as a sex offender

By Larry Kratka, WUPE Radio NewsPrint Story | Email Story
A 43-year-old Lee man has been fined $1000 dollars for failure to register as a sex offender. Keith Kirchner of East Street in Lee pleaded guilty yesterday in Berkshire Superior Court to failing to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board between January 2nd and January 28th 2002. Two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person who has attained the age of 14 and possession of child pornography were dismissed at the request of the Commonwealth. Members of the Lee and Pittsfield police departments conducted the investigations plus State Police assigned to the District Attorney's office. This report was compiled by WUHN/WUPE Radio, Pittsfield
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Pittsfield Man Sentenced On Assault Charges

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Jan. 13, Louis T. Bland, 50 years old of Pittsfield, was found guilty by a jury of his peers and sentenced on the following charges:
  • Assault & Battery On Family/Household Member Subsequent -  2 ½ years in the House of Corrections
  • Assault & Battery On Family/Household Member Subsequent - 2 ½ years in the House of Corrections
  • Strangulation Or Suffocation - 2 ½ years in the House of Corrections
  • Witness Intimidation - 3 to 4 years State Prison
  • Assault & Battery On Family/Household Member Subsequent - 2 years’ probation from and after prison
Bland, who has a prior history of assault and battery on a family/household member, was brought up on the current charges from two incidents that occurred in 2023.
 
"I commend the victim for her bravery and my staff’s commitment to this case. My office will always fight for justice on behalf of all victims of crime," District Attorney Shugrue said. "Unfortunately, obtaining guilty verdicts in cases of domestic violence can be extremely difficult. I am thankful to the jury for their full attention to the facts of this case and their thoughtful deliberation."
 
All sentences will be served concurrently. The conditions of his probation include no drugs and alcohol usage with random screenings, completion of the Intimate Partner Program, and stay away/no contact of any kind with the victim.  At the trial, the Defendant was found not guilty of four additional charges.
 
Assistant District Attorney Amy Winston represented the Commonwealth.
 
 
 

 

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