WESTFIELD – While apparently intent on his quest to keep his paramour way from her irate-with-cause husband, a city man’s blatant disregard for police officers’ orders – and their safety – has landed him, not just in court, but in superior court.
The incident which left him on the pavement of a motel parking lot, shocked by a Taser and under arrest, may have begun for Scott A. Deschaine, 40, of 11 Fowler Ave., on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 when his landlord found him in flagrante delicto with his landlady in the basement apartment of the Fowler Street building where all the parties reside.
At than time, Deschaine’s landlord reported to police that the man assaulted him but, since neither the officer nor anybody else had witnessed the alleged assault, the officer advised the landlord to seek a criminal complaint himself in Westfield District Court which the man apparently did on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the police involvement began with a 6:47 p.m. call from Deschaine complaining that he was threatened via a text message by his landlord.
Officer Richard Mazza, who was dispatched to respond to the complaint, reports that as he approached the house and asked parties present who had called police, Deschaine immediately began to yell obscenities and threats and ordered him from the property.
“The caller appeared to snap and I was unable to communicate anything to him before he cursed me and screamed at me to leave” Mazza wrote in his report of the incident.
A city emergency dispatcher reported that a few minutes later she received a call from the state police dispatcher who reported that Deschaine had called E-911 “screaming at their dispatcher to be transferred to the Westfield police supervisor.”
The State Police dispatcher reported that, when Deschaine was advised to call the Westfield police business line to reach a supervisor, Deschaine continued yelling that he was being denied 911 services and began to threaten the dispatcher.
Sgt. Jeffrey Baillargeon, a shift supervisor, went to the house where he spoke with Deschaine, the basement tenant, and the first floor tenants.
Baillargeon was told that Deschaine had a previous relationship with his landlady and her husband (who had left the area) “is aware of it and suspects they are re-kindling it.”
About an hour after Baillargeon left, at 9:39 p.m., a police dispatcher again took a call from 11 Fowler Ave., a report by the landlord who said that Deschaine had threatened him with a knife.
When officers arrived at the house, they found Deschaine in his car with his landlady who disregarded police orders to stop and instead drove off, without regard to the officers around him, forcing Officer Michael Gibbons to leap for safety to avoid the fleeing vehicle.
Officers gave chase to the vehicle which did not stop until Deschaine pulled into a Southampton Road motel.
In the parking lot, Deschaine ignored orders to shut down the car and show his hands, revving the engine instead until an officer smashed a window with his nightstick and reached inside to turn off the ignition.
Still, Deschaine refused to exit the car or cooperate in any way and officers employed a Taser, which did not elicit compliance.
Deschaine was manually removed for the car and subdued.
During the booking process, a knife which fit the description of the weapon his landlord had said was used to assault him was found in Deschaine’s back pocket.
Charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, failure to stop for police, intimidation of a witness, resisting arrest and carrying a dangerous weapon
he was arraigned the next day in Westfield District Court before Judge Philip A. Contant who ordered that he be held without right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing.
Prior to being allowed to live the basement apartment on Fowler Avenue, Deschaine had been incarcerated.
He is well known to a great many city officers from previous incidents and has a lengthy criminal history.
“We used to send the whole shift to deal with him”, one veteran officer said.
On Feb. 2, the charges in district court were dismissed after Deschaine was indicted and arraigned in Hampden Superior Court.
There, Deschaine will face trial for three charges of assault with a dangerous weapon (a motor vehicle), carrying a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest.
In superior court, much stiffer consequences are possible for a defendant upon conviction then are available to district court judges.
