PITTSFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Pittsfield police arrested a woman after allegedly attempting to kidnap two children from their mother.
The Pittsfield Police were called Wednesday evening, where a mother and her two young children became victims of an attempted kidnapping on North Street.
According to authorities, 55-year-old Sharon Kranich approached the family and immediately assaulted the toddler. Kranich then attempted to take both the toddler and the baby away from their mother and moved ten to fifteen feet down the street with the children at which point the mother managed to secure her children back into her custody. Kranich was apprehended by Pittsfield Police shortly afterward.
Kranich was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Thursday where she was charged with indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, as well as kidnapping. During the arraignment, Kranich’s defense council requested an evaluation to assess her competency.
The court, in turn, ordered an evaluation to determine her criminal responsibility, taking into account any mental disease or defect that may affect her ability to understand the charges. As a result of the court clinic’s evaluation, it was deemed necessary to hospitalize Kranich at a facility for further assessment. Consequently, she has been committed for a minimum of twenty days.
A status report on Sharon Kranich’s competency to stand trial has been scheduled for June 5. Should the medical facility require additional time to complete their evaluation, the commitment may be extended for another twenty days. If Kranich is found competent by the medical professionals, she will be placed in the custody of the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Department. In the event of her competency being established, a dangerousness hearing may be held on June 6.
Sharon Kranich has no known address within Berkshire County, and it appears that she had previously resided in Nevada. Authorities discovered that Kranich has a criminal history in Las Vegas, particularly in Clark County, where she pleaded guilty to child abuse/neglect in 2018 at the Eighth Judicial District Court.
