No Bail For North Adams Man

A man accused of beating his spouse and fracturing her skull, requiring her to be put into a medically induced coma, was ordered held without bail Wednesday after being found too dangerous to be released.

The Berkshire Eagle  reports Judge William Rota said the state had presented an "overwhelming case," to keep 42-year-old Michael Cook in custody.

Cook has been charged with assault and battery on a family or household member, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and assault to murder.

He was arrested early July 11 after he called 911 and asked for an ambulance to be sent to his Chase Avenue home.

According to court papers obtained by The Eagle, Cook told police he'd "snapped" over a personal matter and "bashed her head in."

Police found Cook's spouse unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. She was taken to Berkshire Medical Center and later transferred to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where she underwent what was described as life-saving surgery. The woman was unresponsive and in a coma and breathing with mechanical assistance, according to a police report.

An update on her condition was not immediately available Wednesday.