Witnesses Say MASS MOCA Director May Have Tried To Leave Scene

A police report in court documents quotes witnesses who say that the director of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Joe Thompson, might have tried to leave the scene of a fatal accident last summer.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that there were two witnesses that told police it appeared that Thompson might have been trying to leave the scene after the collision, which occurred on Church Street in North Adams shortly after 10 p.m. July 20, 2018.

One of the witnesses said that they had spoken to Thompson after the crash and told him not to leave.

Police did get two witness statements and asked if it were possible that Thompson was only trying to move his vehicle out of the road.

According to a part of the newly released court documents from a police report from North Adams Police Officer David Sherman.

"Both stated that they believed by the way he attempted to operate the Audi that he was trying to leave,"

Thompson entered a not guilty plea yesterday against a charge of negligent motor vehicle homicide in the crash. 49-year-old Steven Fortier, of North Adams, died as a result of injuries he sustained when his motorcycle collided with Thompson’s SUV.

Thompson was arraigned Wednesday morning in Northern Berkshire District Court before Judge Paul Vrabel and released on his own recognizance.

A pretrial conference is set for Aug. 9. If convicted of the misdemeanor charge, Thompson, 60, faces a minimum of 30 days and up to two-and-a-half years in jail and a 15-year loss of his driver's license.