PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the safe return of two paintings that were stolen from a gallery within Methuselah Bar and Lounge earlier this month.
The oil paintings by Pittsfield-based artist Edward Pelkey were taken from the Tartell Gallery in the rear of the restaurant on Jan. 8 around 4:30 p.m., according to video surveillance.
The footage shows a man entering through an abutting, vacant storefront that shares a bathroom with the bar and gallery, turning on the lights, taking the artwork, and turning off the lights before exiting.
Due to the image quality, details of the man's features cannot be made out but the video has been shared on Facebook in hopes of someone recognizing him.
"We're just eager to get the artwork back if possible," owner Yuki Cohen said.
The Pittsfield Police Department has turned the investigation over to its detective unit for a more in-depth analysis of the video and a search for other footage.
Cohen noted that the person had keys to enter from the neighboring space and seemed familiar with the gallery, as the whole incident took less than a couple of minutes.
Methuselah is closed on Sundays.
While all parties hope to track down the person who did this, the main goal is to get Pelkey's artwork back.
"The New Gunfighter in Town" features a man in a red shirt shooting through saloon doors and is 30 by 24 inches. "The Cubist Bounty Hunter" shows a figure in Mandalorian style armor shooting a gun with vibrantly colored action lines around it and is 18 by 14 inches. Both are oil on canvas.
The abutting storefront at 393 North St. has formerly housed Shire Glass and Omega 1 African Fashion.
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Berkshire Force 14s Win Showdown with Thunder at Dalton Tournament
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
DALTON, Mass. – Julia McComish went 2-for-3 with a triple at the plate and threw two scoreless innings in the circle on Saturday morning as the Berkshire Force 14-and-under travel softball team beat the Greylock Thunder, 6-2, in the 15th annual CRA Invitational at Pine Grove Park.
But the Force will have to beat the Thunder one more time on Sunday morning to get a crack at the title.
The South Troy Dodgers earned wins over Dalton and the Force on Saturday to capture the top seed in the four-team division.
The New Yorkers will square off against the hosts again on Sunday at Pine Grove Park in the semi-finals.
The Thunder and the Force, meanwhile, will meet in the other semi-final.
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The Greylock Thunder 12U and Berkshire Force 12U each went 2-0 in pool play heading into Sunday’s bracket phase.
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Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity announced last week that it will closing the ReStore on Hubbard Avenue at the end of August because it is no longer profitable. click for more