Crime Briefs: Chelsea man bites off police officer’s ear during struggle, DA says
A 27-year-old man from Chelsea was held without bail this week after local prosecutors accused him of biting off a piece of a police officer’s ear during a response to a domestic violence incident last week, authorities said.
Chelsea police responded to a community center in the city on the afternoon of Aug. 30 for a domestic dispute, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office. Police encountered Carlos Sanabria, 27, when they arrived and described him as being “uncooperative,” authorities said.
“A center employee informed officers Sanabria had a video of a domestic incident involving his girlfriend. Sanabria refused to show the video to police and became increasingly more upset,” prosecutors said. “As Sanabria left the building, he began yelling at an officer before charging at him and throwing punches.”
The officer attempted to place Sanabria under arrest but the pair fell to the ground with Sanabria on top, Hayden’s office said. Sanabria continued to punch the police officer and had the cop’s hands pinned down, authorities said.
“Sanabria then bent his head down and bit the officer’s ear, tearing a piece of it off,” prosecutors said in a statement.
A second police officer then placed Sanabria in a chokehold and used a taser on him, Hayden’s office said. Police eventually placed Sanabria in handcuffs, authorities said.
The officer whose ear was bitten was “immediately treated” and transported to a local hospital.
Sanabria was charged with mayhem, strangulation, assault and battery on a police officer, assault to murder, and resisting arrest, Hayden’s office said.
He was arraigned Tuesday in Chelsea District Court and was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing later this month. A clinician has also been ordered to evaluate him, Hayden’s office said.
Hayden said a dangerousness hearing “is entirely appropriate here to ensure the safety of first responders and the larger community.”
“This is an example of how unpredictable domestic violence calls can be for police officers, and how rapidly their day-to-day responsibilities can turn chaotic. This officer was injured in the line of courageous duty and I wish him a quick recovery,” Hayden said in a statement.
Stow man charged with first-degree murder in killing of 17-year-old
Prosecutors charged a 20-year-old man from Stow with first-degree murder this week in the killing of a 17-year-old girl.
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Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Stow Police Chief Michael Sallese accused Shane Curry of stabbing Nevaeh Goddard on April 5 during a physical altercation. Curry was initially charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, according to authorities.
Those charges were later upgraded to murder and Curry was held without bail, according to Ryan’s office. Curry was arraigned Wednesday in a local court on the first-degree murder charges, authorities said.
Stow police responded to a residence on April 5 after receiving a request for a well-being check, according to law enforcement. Upon arrival, officers found Goddard in Curry’s bedroom “with obvious signs of injury.”
“She was pronounced dead at the scene,” Ryan’s office said in a statement released Friday.
New Hampshire man pleads guilty to stalking journalists
A New Hampshire man pleaded guilty this week in a Boston federal court for his role in efforts to harass and intimidate two New Hampshire Public Radio journalists, prosecutors in Massachusetts said Friday.
Keenan Saniatan, 36, of Nashua, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to charges related to vandalizing the home of one journalist and the residence of another journalist’s parents, including by using large rocks and red spray paint. Prosecutors say Saniatan faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Two journalists at NHPR published an article in March 2022 that detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by a former New Hampshire businessperson.
After the article was published, Saniatan along with several others agreed to “harass and intimidate” the two journalists and their immediate family members, according to prosecutors.
Saniatan spray painted the word “C—” in large red letters on the front of one of the journalist’s parents’ home, prosecutors said in a statement.
Two others involved in the alleged harassment and intimidation have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. A third also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to Levy’s office.