North Adams Man Sentenced To State Prison On Rape Charges

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UPDATE ON 06132025: On Wednesday, June 11, Austin Miller-Robinson was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in State Prison for the charges of Aggravated Rape of a Child with Force and Rape and Abuse of a Child Aggravated by Age Difference. 
 
Miller-Robinson was found guilty of these crimes by a jury of his peers on June 4th.
 
District Attorney Shugrue, co-founder of the Kids' Place Child Advocacy Center, stated: "This is an important victory for the children and citizens of Berkshire County. I will always advocate for the strongest possible penalties under the law for anyone who harms our children."
 
District Attorney Shugrue requested the crimes be sentenced to the maximum sentenced and be served consecutively. 
 
"While the sentence is less than my request, and the criminal penalties are to be served concurrently, the 18-to-20-year sentence is substantial. Today is a good day for the children in the Berkshires," he said.
 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Wednesday, June 4 Austin Miller-Robinson, 29 of North Adams, was found guilty of three crimes by a jury of his peers in Berkshire Superior Court. 

 
The Defendant was found guilty of:
  • Aggravated Rape of a Child with Force
  • Rape and Abuse of a Child Aggravated by Age Difference
Aggravated Rape of a Child with Force carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years. Rape and Abuse of a Child Aggravated by Age Difference carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years.
 
Austin Miller-Robinson raped a three-year-old child in July 4, 2019. He was 23 years old at the time.
 
"While we are pleased with today's verdict, it brings to light the horrific abuse that exists in the fringes of society. This guilty verdict provides a measure of justice for an innocent child who endured unimaginable harm at the hands of an adult," District Attorney Shugrue said. "It is my hope that today begins the process of closure for the victim's family and an opportunity for healing and moving forward."
 
He continued, "I also want to recognize the immense dedication of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office Child Abuse Unit. The prosecution of child abuse day in and day out is incredibly difficult. Their commitment to bringing justice on behalf of their young victims is admirable work that few can handle."
 
Chief of the Child Abuse Unit, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Kristen Rapkowicz served as the Victim Witness Advocate on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. North Adams Police Department served as the lead law enforcement agency on the case supported by the Berkshire District Attorney's State Police Detective Unit, Kids' Place, and the multi-disciplinary team led by Emily Zoltan.
 
Sentencing will take place in Berkshire Superior Court on Wednesday, June 11.
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Main & Mill: A Vibrant New Restaurant on Main Street

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — You can now enjoy another eatery on Main Street by well-known restaurant siblings Colleen and Sean Taylor.

Their restaurant Main & Mill opened for the first time Tuesday, bringing their vision of creating something vibrant and new to downtown North Adams.

"We have created Main & Mill to be part of our day. It's very seasonal ingredients, thoughtful cooking, beauty, beautiful presentation and dishes. And we really wanted to be part of the community, the downtown area, and start a vibrant area on this end, which has been shuttered for a while," said Colleen.

The building is owned by Ginko on Main Street LLC, which has granted 20 years exclusive possession of the property to Latent Builds as the developer. Jack and Suzy Wadsworth, behind Ginko, are development partners with Karla Rothstein and Salvatore Perry of Latent.

The bank closed in early 2021 and was purchased by Ginko late that year. Plans for the property unveiled three years ago envisioned a restaurant, retail, a park and rooftop bar. 

Colleen saw potential and said she initially wanted the building when it first went up for sale. Being good friends with Rothstein and Perry, she helped them design the kitchen and the bar before learning in March that she could lease it as a restaurant space, something she told them would be a great idea.

She said one of the most important things about the restaurant was the collaboration between Rothstein, Perry, and the Wadsworths, who put a lot of time and energy into the building.

"If Sean and I had done it, we would not be able to do what the collaboration supported. The collaboration of the three of us being able to really have that kind of money to put in down here. The design that the architecture firm that Carla and Sal own is stunning," she said. "The time and effort, everyone came together to do this in a really trusting manner."

The two wanted the restaurant to be an all-day venture, so people could eat at any point throughout the day, all week long.

"We wanted it to be open for coffee and socialization in the morning where people can meet, have their cup of coffee, have a quiche, a vegetarian quiche, or croissant or yogurt. Something intentional with their coffee," she said. "Then move into a lunchtime for the downtown business or anybody, and then go into supper, dinner, with drinks later into the evening. So have it really be open all day long, so that there wasn't a void on any particular day."

They also wanted to do something different than the other restaurants they owned.

"We didn't want to mimic any other restaurant in town. We wanted to bring something that was inspiring, something that had some familiar things that people would see, and other things that we would bring to them for them to experience," she said.

As a woman business owner, Colleen said she wanted to bring a female chef into the kitchen. 

Colleen brought on Chef Anna DeRose, who she said puts twists on a lot of her dishes.

"So we have a creme brulee, but our creme brulee is topped with marshmallow," she said. "Our creme brulee is like almost two desserts in one. It's a s'mores creme brulee. So you could have a s'mores, and you could have a creme brulee - but when you put both of them together, fireworks go off."

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