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After Months Of Controversy, Kelly Leaves North Adams Airport

Josh Landes
/
WAMC

Controversial businessman Alex Kelly has withdrawn his skydiving company from the public airport in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Decades before launching skydiving businesses in the Northeast, Alex Kelly garnered headlines as “the preppy rapist” who absconded from justice in Europe before serving a sentence in the U.S. for two rape charges in Connecticut.

In an email dated November 12th, 2018, Kelly told North Adams that his Berkshire Skydiving operation would be leaving the Harriman-And-West airport.

Kelly had an adversarial relationship with both the city and some fellow airport users. A WAMC report on his activities following a decade-long stint in prison revealed a history of strained relationships in Connecticut as well.

In September, the state of Vermont terminated his lease at the Bennington Airport following allegations of misconduct and safety violations.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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