NORTH ADAMS -- A Pittsfield man faces a slew of charges for his "bizarre and violent" behavior at the scene of a July truck accident in Cheshire, where, naked and bloody, he allegedly attacked first responders.
Derek J. Farmer, 21, of Rhode Island Avenue, was arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court on Wednesday on a total of 22 charges.
The charges include two counts of assaulting a public employee and seven counts of malicious destruction of property, as well as one count each of assault of a police officer, assault and battery on a civilian, interfering with firefighters, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, indecent exposure, resisting arrest, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, speed greater than reasonable and prudent, a marked-lanes violation and littering.
Farmer said he plans to hire his own attorney at the arraignment.
Police initially withheld details of the accident before an investigation could be conducted, but reports provided to the court Wednesday portrayed the scene during the early hours of July 15.
Cheshire Police Department received a call at 1:46 a.m. on July 15 reporting a fire off Route 8 near Nobodys Road, where a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck had crashed into a pole and was "fully engulfed in flames."
According to Massachusetts State Police Officer Noah
Lanesborough Police Officer Jake Brown, first on scene, said upon his arrival Farmer ran up "screaming incoherently" and began pounding the officer's vehicle with his fists.
Farmer later allegedly punched two Cheshire firefighters and a civilian in the face as they attempted to extinguish the blaze, before Brown used pepper spray and handcuffs to subdue him.
Farmer continued to struggle with officers present, exhibiting symptoms Pack identified as "excited delirium," "abnormal strength," "insensitivity to pain," and "psychomotor agitation."
Adams Ambulance Services transported Farmer to Berkshire Medical Center (BMC), where Farmer was later arrested. The accident caused "considerable damage to nearby properties," including several businesses on Nobodys Road and Whitney's Farm Market. Monetary figures have not been attached to the damages.
Police later executed a search warrant on toxicology tests performed on Farmer at BMC, and they said Farmer tested positive for alcohol and cannabinoids, but police assumptions that "other drugs" were potentially involved remained unconfirmed.
Farmer, who'd just returned from military training at a base in Jacksonville, Fla., later told Pack that he didn't recall much of the morning's events and had no explanation for his actions at the scene.
A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 15.
To reach Phil Demers, email
pdemers@thetranscript.com.
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