Man accused of hitting bicyclist, fleeing

June 14, 2009

A Chicopee driver seriously injured a Springfield boy on a bicycle, then fled the scene of the accident yesterday, police said. Police arrested Luke Delaney, 29, at a home on Gelinas Drive in Chicopee after using "information gathered at the scene," State Police Sergeant Michael Popovics said. Police responded to a call for a struck bicyclist at 12:21 a.m. on the Chestnut Street onramp to Route 291 East in Springfield. The boy was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Popovics said. Popovics did not know why the boy was riding on the onramp or whether he was wearing a helmet. Police did not release the boy's age. Delaney, who was driving a red 1997 Honda Accord, was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury crash. He is to be arraigned tomorrow morning.

Singers hoping to follow in the footsteps of Kris Allen, David Cook, Carrie Underwood, and other American Idols can take their first step on the road to stardom at Gillette Stadium. "American Idol" is kicking off Season Nine auditions in Foxborough today. Registration began Friday, with "Idol" hopefuls given wristbands and asked to return to the stadium at the crack of dawn today for the start of tryouts. In addition to having talent, courage, and perhaps a thick skin, auditioners must also be between the ages of 16 and 28 and eligible to work in the United States. (AP)

Belmont police said they arrested two Massachusetts men wanted in connection with home invasions in Florida and New Jersey. Rafael A. Laboy, 27, of Ludlow and Eddie T. Laboy, 18, of Springfield were arrested at a Trapelo Road coffee shop after Miami police warned local communities to be on the lookout for the suspects. State and local police were having a meeting about the two men when Belmont officers on patrol recognized Rafael Laboy and made the arrest without incident. The suspects, who police believe are related, will be arraigned in Cambridge District Court tomorrow morning on fugitive from justice charges. Rafael Laboy also will be arraigned on warrants from western Massachusetts for violation of probation and being a habitual traffic offender. A third man, Miguel A. Perez, 40, of Belmont was with the Laboys and arrested on a default warrant out of Waltham. (Guilfoil)

A group of Massachusetts lawmakers is looking to toughen protections for homeowners four years after the nation's highest court ruled cities may bulldoze people's houses to make way for shopping malls. The Republican-led initiative would add Massachusetts to a long list of states to limit the taking of private property by eminent domain for commercial development since the contentious 2005 Supreme Court decision. "It's un-American," said Representative Lewis Evangelidis, Republican of Holden, an amendment sponsor. "To simply take property and hand it over to a private enterprise, I don't think that's what a civil society should do to its citizens." The amendment would allow a government entity to take private property "only when necessary for the possession, occupation, and enjoyment of land by the public at large, or by public agencies." (AP)

Lawyers for a German man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller say they'll appeal his kidnapping conviction, calling it just "the first chapter" in the case. Attorney Jeffrey Denner told "The Early Show" on CBS yesterday that he's also considering whether to file a motion for a new trial, though he declined to say on what grounds. Rockefeller's real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, but he assumed various identities after coming to the United States three decades ago. He was convicted Friday of kidnapping his daughter off a Boston street during a supervised visit in July, then fleeing to Baltimore with her. In a separate case, Rockefeller is considered a "person of interest" in the 1985 disappearance of a California couple. A grand jury is investigating. (AP)

One of Boston's historic holiday attractions is set for auction in a move that could put it in a private collection. Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers will auction off the Enchanted Village holiday display Thursday after dwindling attendance forced city officials to close the attraction in 2006. The Enchanted Village is a holiday scene of a traditional New England town that has captivated Boston's holiday shoppers since the 1940s. It features 59 handmade electromechanical figures. The average figure is 4 feet 8 inches tall. Qualified bidders who put up a refundable $25,000 deposit will be able to examine closely the display tomorrow through Wednesday. (AP)

A 90-year-old Pittsfield man died yesterday after the car he was driving was hit by another vehicle outside a Pittsfield restaurant. Police said that Michael Allessio, 90, was making a left turn out of the Misty Moonlight Diner parking lot onto Dalton Avenue around 8:30 a.m., when his car was struck by another car driven by Sally Cooper, 52, of Cheshire. Allessio was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at Berkshire Medical Center. Allessio's wife, Stella, and Cooper were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.