Pittsfield Man Sentenced On Assault Charges

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Jan. 13, Louis T. Bland, 50 years old of Pittsfield, was found guilty by a jury of his peers and sentenced on the following charges:
  • Assault & Battery On Family/Household Member Subsequent -  2 ½ years in the House of Corrections
  • Assault & Battery On Family/Household Member Subsequent - 2 ½ years in the House of Corrections
  • Strangulation Or Suffocation - 2 ½ years in the House of Corrections
  • Witness Intimidation - 3 to 4 years State Prison
  • Assault & Battery On Family/Household Member Subsequent - 2 years’ probation from and after prison
Bland, who has a prior history of assault and battery on a family/household member, was brought up on the current charges from two incidents that occurred in 2023.
 
"I commend the victim for her bravery and my staff’s commitment to this case. My office will always fight for justice on behalf of all victims of crime," District Attorney Shugrue said. "Unfortunately, obtaining guilty verdicts in cases of domestic violence can be extremely difficult. I am thankful to the jury for their full attention to the facts of this case and their thoughtful deliberation."
 
All sentences will be served concurrently. The conditions of his probation include no drugs and alcohol usage with random screenings, completion of the Intimate Partner Program, and stay away/no contact of any kind with the victim.  At the trial, the Defendant was found not guilty of four additional charges.
 
Assistant District Attorney Amy Winston represented the Commonwealth.
 
 
 

 

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North Adams Officials to Revote School Committee Members

Staff reports
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City and school officials will meet a second time to vote in two new members of the School Committee. 
 
The joint convention of the City Council and School Committee will be held on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Hall conference room and via Zoom. 
 
Damon Grimes and Paul Moriarty were jointly elected on Monday to fill two seats vacated by resignation. They were two of four candidates standing for election.
 
Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee, said she had received in inquiry about the votes, which were done by secret ballot.
 
"I have been advised that voting by ballot was not permissible in this circumstance," she said, after consulting the School Committee's attorney Adam Dupere and city solicitor KP Law. 
 
To ensure the validity of the votes and conduct of the election, the joint convention will reconvene and formally confirm the selection of Grimes and Moriarty.
 
"I apologize for the inconvenience of having to reconvene," the mayor said in a statement. "My intention in using a ballot was to address concerns raised following our previous convention, when some members expressed discomfort with publicly voting for or against individual candidates. 
 
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