Free Pet Care Clinic in North Adams

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As part of a $95,000 grant from the John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation, a supporting organization of the Northwest CT Community Foundation, Berkshire Humane Society will hold a free rabies vaccine and microchip clinic, including a pet food giveaway for dogs and cats on Thursday, May 14, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Carr Hardware in North Adams at 179 State Road.
 
For the clinic, dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in carriers. Pet owners are encouraged to bring previous proof of rabies vaccination, even if it has expired. For microchips, downloading a form at https://berkshirehumane.org/document/microchip-registration-form/ will expedite the process.
 
Bags of dry cat and dog food from Berkshire Humane Society's Pet Food Bank will also be available and three sophomores from Lenox Memorial High School will help with distribution as part of a civics project. The clinic and pet food giveaway are open to all; you need not live in North Adams.
 
"We're holding this free clinic in North Adams to better serve animals and their people in Northern Berkshire County," said John Perreault, Executive Director of Berkshire Humane Society. "Besides being the law, it's important to keep your pets up to date on their rabies vaccination for their health and the health of other animals," he said. Massachusetts requires all dogs and cats be vaccinated for rabies before they are six months old. "And microchipping your dog or cat will increase your chances of being reunited with your pet if he or she gets lost," he added.
 
"We're grateful to the Wiederhold Foundation for their generosity, Carr Hardware for providing a great location for this event, and to the three Lenox High School students for helping give away pet food for their civics project; all are supporting our local community of animal lovers, right here in the Berkshires," Perreault concluded.
 
For more information, contact Berkshire Humane Society at 413-447-7878 or BerkshireHumane.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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