NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A city man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a string of breaking and entering incidents this week and was sentenced to 18 months in the House of Corrections. 

 

Christopher Jelley, 36, was picked up on Liberty Street early Wednesday morning after breaking into Freight Yard Pub and stealing several bottles of liquor, according to a report posted on Facebook by interim Police Chief Mark Bailey. 

 

Police had been investigating several break-ins, beginning Monday morning about 3 a.m. when someone was observed on CCTV throwing a rock through the front door window of Dave's Package Store on River Street. The individual took cartons of cigarettes and cigarette lighters.

 

The suspect was identified by the footage as Christopher Jelley.

 

On Wednesday, at approximately 12:45 a.m., the police were told by witnesses that they had seen a man wearing a hooded sweat shirt trying to break into EZ Mart on Ashland Street. Two rocks were found outside the store by officers and the front door glass was broken. There was no entry into the store.

 

A short time later while checking the area, officers found the glass front door of Whitney's Beverage Shop on American Legion Drive had been broken. There was a brick found on the ground in front of the store. The was no entry into the store.

 

Then at about 1:10 a.m., the dispatch center received a breaking and entering alarm at the restaurant. Officers responded and found that the front door window had been smashed out but could not locate anyone inside.

 

After reviewing the cameras at all three locations, it appeared to be the same person smashing the windows at each establishment using rocks and bricks. They found an individual on Liberty Street who matched the description on the cameras.

 

The person was identified as Christopher Jelley. 

 

He was subsequently arrested and charged with the breaking and entering at Freight Yard Pub, and the attempted breaking and entering at Whitney's Beverage and EZ Mart. He was also charged with the breaking and entering at Dave's Package for the Monday incident. 

 

He was arraigned Wednesday morning in Northern Berkshire District Court, and plead out to all charges. Jelley had been released from jail on March 31 after serving two years for multiple breaking and entering charges stemming from 2023. He had been charged in 2019 on another breaking and entering and drug possession and sentenced to nine months and attending a substance abuse program.

 

"Thank you to all those who quickly called NAPD when observing Jelley trying to break into EZ Mart," wrote Bailey. "It helped lead the department to a quick apprehension."