Man goes on Walmart smashing spree

Posted Friday, April 24, 2009 7:51 am

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After the incident, which several employees called "terrifying," the man expressed anti-government sentiments and complained about being unemployed.

According to police, Nicholas Adornetto, 26, of East Street, walked into the Hubbard Avenue Walmart shortly after 1 p.m. and headed for the sporting goods area. There, he picked up an aluminum baseball bat and made his way to the electronics department, where he began taking rips at three rows of flat-screen TVs  Vizios, Sonys and Sumsungs.

$13,000 in damage

He connected on 17 swings. Estimated damage: $13,000.

Adornetto was heard saying, "I'm not going to hurt anyone. I'm mad at the government. I'm sick of it all. I want to go to jail."

Pittsfield Police Detective Sgt. Marc E. Strout said several employees were able to "talk him down" and take the bat away.

Police were called. Adornetto was arrested and charged with 17 counts of willful and malicious destruction of property. He was being held on $3,000 cash bond at the Pittsfield Police Department overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court this morning.

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Employees at the store declined to speak with a reporter.

Ashley Hardie, a Walmart spokeswoman based in Bentonville, Ark., said she hasn't heard of an incident like this taking place at the large discount store, which operates nearly 4,000 locations across the United States.

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Incident still under investigation

"We appreciate the quick response of the police department," she said.

Hardie declined to speak further on the issue, as it still remains under investigation.

Meanwhile, questions remain concerning Adornetto's motive. The 2001 Pittsfield High graduate received a history degree from Skidmore College in Saratoga, N.Y., in December 2004.

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He was accepted into the international honor society Phi Alpha Theta and graduated summa cum laude  the highest college honors reserved for the top 1 percent of students.

His father, Gerald Adornetto, died a suspicious death in January 2005. His body was found inside a van parked on Circular Avenue.

The 45-year-old owner of Gerald Adornetto & Son Plumbing Co. suffered stab wounds, but an autopsy determined that it was a heart attack due to cocaine ingestion that led to his death. District Attorney David Capeless dropped charges against 23-year-old Anthony Carnute, who admitted to selling drugs to Adornetto and stabbing him during an altercation.

When Strout arrested Adornetto on Thursday at Walmart, he said the man was "peaceful, calm and cooperative.

"He was just having a bad day."

To reach Benning W. De La Mater: bdelamater@berkshireeagle.com, or (413) 496-6243.