<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3DgbxE_0vmD8hSt00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3DgbxE_0vmD8hSt00" width="1320" height="743" >PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WRGB) — UPDATE: The Maine homicide suspect captured in Pittsfield Friday morning will be extradited back to Maine on Saturday, according to the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office.On Friday, Richard Keith Thorpe was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court. He was charged with Negligent Operation; Failing to Stop for Police, Resisting Arrest; and Receiving a Stolen Motor Vehicle. Judge Gioscia held Thorpe without the right to bail. The charges stemmed from an earlier police pursuit in which Thorpe led police on a high-speed chase through West Pittsfield before crashing into an unmarked cruiser.<blockquote>District Attorney Shugrue stated, “The Pittsfield Police Officers involved in this morning’s high-speed chase truly put their lives on the line to apprehend a dangerous criminal. I am thankful for their courage.”</blockquote>He added, “My office was in immediate communication with the Maine State Police to ensure the Defendant faces charges related to the murder of Ms. Cookson.”Mr. Thorpe waived extradition and will be transported back to Maine on Saturday, September 28th.-----Pittsfield police arrested a man Friday morning who was wanted in Bangor, Maine for murder earlier this week.On September 25, officers with the Bangor Maine Police Department discovered 39-year-old Virginia Cookson deceased within a residence. On September 27, a post-mortem examination was conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta , Maine, in which the manner of death was determined to be homicide.As a result of an investigation by the Bangor Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division in conjunction with the State of Maine Office of the Attorney General, an arrest warrant was issued for Richard Keith Thorpe, 42, of Bangor, for the crime of murder.Just before 4 a.m. Friday, officers with the Pittsfield Police Department responded to a single motor vehicle crash near the intersection of West Street and Onota Street. The vehicle was unoccupied, and items found inside the vehicle led officers to believe that Thorpe might have been the driver. Officers conducted an area search but were unable to locate the driver at that time.Just prior to 7 a.m., officers responded to West Housatonic Street for a report of a stolen motor vehicle. A BOLO (be on the lookout) for the vehicle was broadcast to Pittsfield officers and neighboring jurisdictions.At approximately 8:30 a.m., according to Pittsfield Police, the stolen vehicle was located and the operator led officers on a motor vehicle pursuit that included the areas of West Street and intersecting streets. The suspect vehicle crossed the center divider, passed cars in a no-passing zone, and failed to stop for police. It should be noted that school bus operations were active at this time. The vehicle was eventually stopped in the area of Euclid Avenue after making contact with a police vehicle. No significant injuries were reported.The operator of the stolen vehicle was positively identified as Thorpe, and he was taken into custody without incident. He was charged with numerous motor vehicle offenses and the out-of-state arrest warrant for murder. He is expected to be arraigned at Pittsfield District Court.As a precaution during the motor vehicle pursuit, all local schools were asked to shelter in place and based on the location of Taconic High School, that school was locked down. The school safety actions lasted approximately five minutes.Neither Thorpe nor Cookson have any known connection to Pittsfield Mass., and no documented calls for service prior to this event. No further information is available at this time. Some of the information in this report was provided by Detective Tim Shaw of the Bangor Police Department.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Maine homicide suspect to be extradited, Berkshire County DA says

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WRGB) — UPDATE: The Maine homicide suspect captured in Pittsfield Friday morning will be extradited back to Maine on Saturday, according to the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office. On Friday, Richard Keith Thorpe was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court. He was charged with Negligent Operation; Failing...