Pittsfield Man Convicted For Threatening People With A Machete

12:04PM / Friday, October 01, 2021Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Tuesday, a Central Berkshire District Court jury found 40-year-old Craig Mills guilty on single counts of assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.

The jury acquitted Mills on one additional charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

"I thank the Pittsfield Police Department for their response that night and the jurors for their service. People should not be fearful in their own homes. This conviction holds the perpetrator accountable for the harm he caused," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.

The jury found that Mills stood outside the victims' home on May 23 and began swinging the weapon and making threats.

Judge Paul Smyth sentenced Mills to serve two and a half years at the Berkshire County House of Correction, 18 months direct and the balance suspended.

The Commonwealth requested the court to sentence to 18 months in the House of Correction. Defense Counsel asked the court to sentence Mills' to time already served while awaiting trial.

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Lanesborough Hopes for Continued Talks on Mall Sale

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
06:41PM / Wednesday, November 11, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board is optimistic that talks for the Berkshire Mall sale will continue.

Chair Deborah Maynard and Vice Chair Juli Baker were to meet with mall owner JMJ Holdings, the Baker Hill Road District, and proposed buyer Cypress Equities on Tuesday to discuss next steps. As of Wednesday, iBerkshires had received a "we are optimistic" from Maynard on the talks. The Berkshire Eagle reported a response from a Cypress representative saying talks will continue.

Baker had updated the Select Board on Monday about the status of the sale and the efforts being undertaken by the renamed Baker Hill Economic District.

Cypress Equities pulled out of a purchase-and sale-agreement with mall owner JMJ last week for the following reasons.

Not enough water service/pressure to the property to support redevelopment without constructing costly water tanks.
The current septic system and former treatment facility is not acceptable for a project of the scale and magnitude proposed.
There is existing asbestos and bad soil from the treatment system that needs to be remediated off site.
And the current structure and tax assessment of the Baker Hill Road District.

Baker has been working with what is now being called the Baker Hill Economic District and said she and the district members are happy that Cypress has decided to leave the door open to more discussions and that they have been working hard to try and address the company's needs.

Last month, the town had asked state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. John Barrett III to support the state Department of Transportation taking over the Connector Road, funding for a mall connection to Pittsfield's wastewater treatment plant and a connection to the town's water main.

Baker said an amendment has been drafted to cap the district's taxes to not grow more than 2.5 percent a year. She noted that, historically, taxes have not grown by more than one percent per year, so it won't be difficult to meet that cap.

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