PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city man is being charged in a Monday morning robbery at Berkshire Bank.
James Scales IV, 38, allegedly passed a note to a teller, brandished a knife, and fled the bank with some cash.
"The suspect reportedly passed a note to a teller, brandished a knife, and fled the bank with an amount of cash," according to Pittsfield Police. "The subsequent investigation led to the arrest of 38-year-old Pittsfield resident James Scales IV who is charged with armed robbery while masked."
Police say there may be additional charges when Scales is arraigned in Berkshire District Court on Tuesday, July 22.
No further information was provided on how Scales was taken into custody. The statement from police stated the patrol division, detective bureau, and crime scene services were involved in the investigation.
It also said the department "would like to commend the bank employees and civilian witnesses who remained calm during the incident. The employees and witnesses were able to provide important information that became pertinent to the investigation."
Police responded at about 9 a.m. to the report of the armed robbery 66 West St. branch. The department made a public post on the incident about an hour later on Facebook stating the suspect was in custody and there was no danger to the public.
"Because of the quick response from patrol, we have a suspect in custody, and there is no immediate threat to the public," the Facebook post reads. "We hope to have a press release later this afternoon."
By noon, a sign was placed outside the branch notifying the public that it was closed and the lights had been turned off.
"This location is closed Mon 7/21, please refer to Elm St or Allendale [bank branches]," it reads. "We apologize about the inconvenience. We open at 9 a.m. tomorrow."
Alison Skratt, head of the bank's corporate communications, confirmed no bank employees or clients were injured.
"Appropriate law enforcement and banking authorities were promptly notified and a suspect is in custody. We are working closely with law enforcement to support their investigation, which is ongoing," she wrote in an email response. "The safety of our employees, clients, and community is our top priority. The financial center will be closed for the remainder of the day as we assess the situation and support our team. We plan to reopen tomorrow."
Skratt noted that financial center deposits are protected by Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. insurance.
When iBerkshires arrived around noon, there was no crime scene tape and the branch had been cleared. A photo taken by the police around the time of the incident shows the outside staircase that leads to McKay Street taped off.
This is not the first time police have responded to the bank for this kind of activity. In 2022, officers were dispatched to the same branch for a holdup alarm after an attempted robbery, when someone had passed a handwritten note demanding money, then fled the scene. No cash was taken, no injuries were reported, and no weapon was displayed; the culprit was quickly arrested and sentenced to prison last year.
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Capeless Students Raise $5,619 for Charity
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them.
On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White.
Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills.
"And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do it every year, except for those two years (during the pandemic)," she said. "And it started off as just sort of a feel-good project, but it has quickly tied into so many of the morals and values that we teach at school anyhow, especially our Portrait of a Graduate program."
Students used the venture capital to sell cookies, run raffles, make jewelry, and more. They chose to donate to charities and organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Berkshire Humane Society and Toys for Tots.
"Teaching them that because they have so much and they're so blessed, recognizing that not everybody in the community has as much, maybe not even in the world," said Newton. "Some of our organizations were close to home. Others were bigger hospitals, and most of our organizations had to do with helping the sick or the elderly, soldiers, people in need."
Once they have finished and presented their projects, the students write an essay on what they did and how it makes them feel.
"So the essay was about the project, what they decided to do, how they raised more money," Newton said. "And now that the project is over, this week, we're writing about how they feel about themselves and we've heard everything from I feel good about myself to this has changed me."
Sandra Kisselbrock raised $470 for St. Jude's by selling homemade cookies.
"It made me feel amazing and happy to help children during the holiday season," she said.
Gavin Burke chose to donate to the Soldier On Food Pantry. He shoveled snow to earn money to buy the food.
"Because they helped. They used to fight for our country and used to help protect us from other countries invading our land and stuff," he said.
Desiree Brignoni-Lay chose to donate to Toys for Tots and bought toys with the $123 she raised.
Luke Tekin raised $225 for the Berkshire Humane Society by selling raffle tickets for a basket of instant hot chocolate and homemade ricotta cookies because he wanted to help the animals.
"Because animals over, like I'm pretty sure, over 1,000 animals are abandoned each year, he said. "So I really want that to go down and people to adopt them."
Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, and a little bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.
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A 700-square-foot outdoor water attraction is planned for the 2.1-acre park at 30 John Street. City officials hope to have it operational by summertime.
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