News Brief: Man sentenced to 5 years for fatal hit-and-run

Man sentenced in fatal hit-and-run case

Pittsfield — On Friday, Berkshire County Superior Court Judge Mark Mason sentenced a driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run to four to five years in state prison and two years of probation with conditions.

The sentencing for Robert D. Smith, 41, of Pittsfield, came two days after a jury deliberated for about 90 minutes before delivering guilty verdicts on all four felony charges, including leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury resulting in death, misleading a police officer, attempting to burn a motor vehicle and withholding evidence from a criminal proceeding.

Smith struck and killed Gerald P. Scott Jr., 53, on Jan. 19, 2017, while Scott was riding his bicycle along Linden Street near Robbins Avenue in Pittsfield. Smith left the scene without reporting the incident, and attempted to burn the vehicle involved in the crash.

“We’re thankful for the thorough investigation performed by the Pittsfield Police Department in this case, and for the jury’s decision, which served justice for the family members of Mr. Scott,” Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington said. “This case turned in our favor because we successfully sought a warrant to arrest a hostile witness for failing to appear in court, and granted the witness immunity for important testimony. The Berkshire DA’s Office will not roll over when a witness refuses to cooperate with a court summons.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kyle G. Christensen.