Commonwealth v. T.C. – Quincy District Court

AT TRIAL, DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE OFFERS TO DISMISS CRIMINAL CHARGE OF VIOLATING A HARASSMENT ORDER AGAINST BRAINTREE MAN WITH NO CRIMINAL RECORD IF HE STAYS OUT OF TROUBLE FOR 8 MONTHS

Defendant, a happily married man in his mid-fifties with no criminal record, had a longstanding feud with his neighbors, a father, mother, and their adult son, who live across the street. In December 2017, the father and mother obtained a Harassment Prevention Order (“HPO”) (G.L. c. 258E) against the Defendant for one-year alleging that he threatened to beat them up, shouted vulgarities at them, and waved a leaf blower at them. After this HPO was issued, Defendant hired Attorney Patrick J. Noonan who immediately filed a Motion to Reconsider the judge’s decision in issuing the order, which was denied after a hearing. Attorney Noonan filed an appeal. After the HPO issued, Defendant was arrested, several days later, and charged with Violation of a Harassment Prevention Order (G.L. c. 258E, §9). The alleged victim claimed that, several days after getting the harassment order, Defendant threatened to beat him up. In December 2018, the alleged victims sought a one-year extension of the HPO. This time, Attorney Noonan was able to oppose the HPO and cross-examine the alleged victims under oath. Even though the judge extended the HPO for another year, Attorney Noonan obtained valuable evidence at the hearing to use in defense of the criminal charge. In particular, Attorney Noonan elicited evidence that, back in 2012, the three alleged victims (mother, father, and their son) attacked him, beat him, and sent him to the hospital with serious injuries. In particular, the father punched the defendant in the face sending him to the ground. The mother retrieved a wooden club from the house and handed it to the father who proceeded to beat the Defendant with hit, as the Defendant was on the ground. The adult son joined in and struck the Defendant, as he was on the ground. Attorney Noonan obtained photographs of the wooden club. As a result of the violent attack, Defendant went to the hospital with injuries, including a laceration to his forehead (requiring 6 sutures), contusions to the chest, arm, and back, and a blunt injury to his finger (which was placed in a splint).

Result: At trial, Attorney Patrick J. Noonan sought to introduce evidence that the three alleged victims had brutally attacked his client back in 2012. Attorney Noonan was prepared with photos of the wooden club that was used to beat his client, photos of the Defendant’s injuries, witnesses, and certified medical records of his client’s injuries. Attorney Noonan’s proposed evidence posed a serious problem for the alleged victims because they could potentially incriminate themselves if they were to testify at trial giving them what is known as a Fifth Amendment Privilege against Self-Incrimination. Prior to the trial commencing, the District Attorney’s Office offered to dismiss the criminal charge, so long as the client abides by the existing HPO, which is in effect until December of 2020.