Pittsfield Man Pleads Guilty to 6 Counts of Raping a Child

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, Nov. 20 Dean Giftos, age 48 of Pittsfield, pled guilty to 2 counts of Rape of a Child with Force and 4 counts of Rape of a Child, Aggravated by Age Difference.
 
Judge Agostini sentenced Giftos to 7 to 10 years in prison for the Rape with Force charges and 3 years' probation from and after for the Aggravated Rape charges.  During his probation, Giftos must have no contact with the victim, have no unsupervised contact with minors, and he must attend sex offender treatment.  Should he violate his probation, he is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. 
 
According to a report from the district attorney's office, Giftos sexually assaulted a child for a period spanning approximately nine to ten years. The two charges (Rape of a Child, Aggravated by Age Difference and Rape of a Child with Force) are due to the age of the child during the time of the assaults. The aggravated charges stem from sexual assaults that took place before the child turned 12. The investigation began when the defendant made a confession without a prior investigation.  During an investigation prompted by Giftos' confession, he made a similar confession to a Pittsfield Police Department detective.
 
The victim submitted a victim impact statement which was read prior to sentencing.  The victim is satisfied with the result of the case.
 
Assistant District Attorney Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Victim Witness Advocates Carmen Guevara and Ian Benoit served on behalf of the District Attorney's Office. The Pittsfield Police Department acted as the lead law enforcement agency.
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New Camp Is Safe Place for Children Suffering Loss to Addiction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

Last year's Happy Campers courtesy of Max Tabakin.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new camp is offering a safe place for children who have lost a parent or guardian to addiction. 
 
Director Gayle Saks founded the nonprofit "Camp Happy Place" last year. The first camp was held in June with 14 children.
 
Saks is a licensed drug and alcohol counselor who works at the Brien Center. One of her final projects when studying was how to involve youth, and a camp came to mind. Camp had been her "happy place" growing up, and it became her dream to open her own.
 
"I keep a bucket list in my wallet, and it's right on here on this list, and I cross off things that I've accomplished," she said. "But it is the one thing on here that I knew I had to do."
 
The overnight co-ed camp is held at a summer camp in Winsted, Conn., where Saks spent her summers as a child. It is four nights and five days and completely free. Transportation is included as are many of the items needed for camping. The camp takes up to 30 children.
 
"I really don't think there's any place that exists specifically for this population. I think it's important to know, we've said this, but that it is not a therapeutic camp," Saks said.
 
She said the focus is on fun for the children, though they are able to talk to any of the volunteer and trained staff. The staff all have experience in social work, addiction and counseling, and working with children.
 
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