SOUTH HADLEY — Authorities arrested a Pittsfield man Friday who they say carried out several armed robberies in South Hadley last year.
Michael Bedford, 42, was arrested on a warrant, served by Pittsfield police, on charges of masked armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon. Police arrested Bedford in the early Friday morning at his North Street home, authorities said.
Police also executed a search warrant on Bedford’s residence the same morning.
As a result of the investigation, South Hadley detectives said they linked Bedford to two Berkshire Bank branch robberies on Lamb Street in South Hadley: the first in January 2016 and the other in December 2016, police said.
Investigators said they also linked Bedford to the December 2015 armed robbery of Pittsfield’s Greylock Federal Credit Union. Authorities did not immediately disclose what led them to zero in on Bedford.
The South Hadley and Pittsfield police departments and the Berkshire County Special Response Team were all part of the investigation.
Bedford was arraigned Friday in Pittsfield District Court on charges related to the alleged December 2015 incident and is currently being held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction. He’s also expected to appear for another arraignment March 21 in Eastern Hampshire District Court to answer to charges that stem from the alleged South Hadley robberies, police said.