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Pittsfield Man Arrested After Riot in U.S. Capitol

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield man is among those facing charges after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. 
 
David Lester Ross, 33, was recorded in the Metropolitan Police Department's listing for "Unrest-Related Arrest Data" on Wednesday, Jan. 6. He was the only Massachusetts resident charged as of Jan. 7 but his hometown was not provided. 
 
Boston.com reported Friday that he is a Pittsfield resident. 
 
Ross was charged with curfew violation and unlawful entry. He was picked up in the 100 Block of First Street NW in Washington, D.C., an area northwest of the Capitol building, according to police. The time he was arrested is not listed in the arrest data but Boston.com reports that police say he was arrested after 7 with a number of other people for refusing orders to abide by the curfew.
 
Police say Winter "without lawful authority, did enter and attempt to enter certain public property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police."
 
It is not clear if he was involved in the mob that broke into the Capitol building during the counting of the electoral votes for president. 
 
Five people died in the attack, including one Capitol police officer. Numerous other officers were reportedly injured.
 
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling, regarding the riot, said on Thursday that "anyone who traveled from Massachusetts with the intent to commit such crimes will be prosecuted in the District of Massachusetts."
 
More than 50 people were arraigned on Thursday, mostly for curfew violations and unlawful entry. They were ordered to leave the District of Columbia with return dates set to face charges. Boston.com reports that Ross has a court date of June 10. His attorney is Darryl Daniels II.
 
A Facebook page for a David L. Ross shows him holding a firearm in his profile picture with a "Trump Pence" logo. There are posts of conspiracy theories, such as Bill Gates chipping people, and of supporting the president. He also apparently attended a Trump rally in New Hampshire in October. The page gives his history as having served in the infantry in the Army and the National Guard. It says he also worked at Family Dollar and Big Y and is originally from Catskill, N.Y. 
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Multiple Fire Companies Battling Motel Blaze on Route 7

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

An image posted to the Pittsfield Fire page early Thursday morning.
LENOX, Mass. — Multiple fire companies are battling a structure fire at the Wagon Wheel Inn on Route 7.
 
Motorists are asked to avoid Holmes Road, Pomeroy Avenue and surrounding areas near Route 7. The highway between Holmes Road and the Lenox shopping plaza has been closed since about 6:30.
 
Pittsfield Police say traffic is being rerouted off Route 7 and into neighborhood streets. 
 
Lenox Deputy Fire Chief William Colvin said the call was received at about 6:15 a.m. by the regional dispatch center. 
 
 "At this point, the biggest thing now we're battling besides, a fire is just ice issues, with freezing ice," Colvin Said. "Our local highway department, the Lenox Highway Department have been here at sanding and MassDOT is also helping with traffic and with salting of the road."
 
 He departments from the city of Pittsfield, north, all the way down from Sheffield, were on the scene.
 
The state fire marshal and representatives from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency were also at the scene.
 
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