WESTFIELD – A city man is behind bars after he allegedly bit a police officer Saturday night.
City police were summoned to a Frederick Street apartment about 10:30 p.m. Saturday and a resident there told them that her boyfriend had assaulted her.
The woman told Officer Sean Smith that she and her boyfriend of seven years had been arguing all day about relationship issues. She said that she went to bed but her boyfriend, Michael Stephens, 37, of 3 Frederick St., wasn’t willing to let the argument go and went upstairs to continue the argument. In the bedroom, she said, Stephens picked up a 24” flat screen television and threw it at her while she was in bed.
Smith reports that a witness “overheard the argument, heard a crash and heard the victim yelling that the Defendant had thrown a TV at her.”
The television struck the woman’s leg, Smith reports, and was damaged. He reports that the television belonged to the victim.
Stephens was arrested for assault and battery on a family or household member, for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (a television) and for vandalizing property.
Smith reports that, while Officer Richard Mazza was attempting to emplace a seat belt on Stephens in a cruiser, Stephens “bit an officer on his left forearm and refused to let go. That officer also suffered a laceration to his right hand, which required stitches, in the ensuing struggle, and a sprained right thumb.”
Stephens was also charged with assault and battery on a police officer and Smith noted that he has a history of assault and battery.
Smith reports that he was charged with assault and battery on police officer in 2007, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in 2009 and assault and battery in 2010.
When Stephens appeared in Westfield District Court on Monday for arraignment before Judge Philip A. Contant the judge noted that he has a history of “at least 5 prior appearance defaults and other post disposition defaults”.
Contant also noted that the same victim has twice been granted protection from Stephens in the form of abuse prevention orders, that he has been convicted for a violation of her abuse prevention order and for domestic assault and battery on her.
Contant set bail for Stephens at $500 and he was held when he did not post that bail.
He is due to return to court on Feb. 23.
