Assailant
arraigned
By CARL E. HARTDEGEN
Staff Writer
WESTFIELD – A Chicopee man has been arrested and arraigned on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon stemming from an incident in an Elm Street alley in January.
The assault came to the attention of police Saturday, Jan. 28, when a city resident called shortly after 9 p.m. to report that he had been assaulted in an alley by two men armed with a club.
Officer Stephen Gonglik responded to the call and spoke with the victim, who told him that the incident had begun in a nearby liquor store, when he was approached by a man who confronted him about a pending court case.
In his statement to police, the victim said that the man in the store had insulted him and accused him of a crime. He said when the man left, with another man who was with him, he threatened him saying “I’m gonna get you. I don’t forget. We are going to kill you.”
The victim left the store and told police that, while walking in a nearby alley, the companion of the man who had confronted him in the store approached and assaulted him with a club.
The victim said that he was struck numerous times with a police type baton before he was able to flee.
Det. Anthony Tsatsos was assigned to the case and reports that the victim was shown arrays of photos. He was able to pick out both the man who confronted him in the store and the man who had actually assaulted him.
The victim’s assailant was identified as Jason Alan Coutu, 18, of 31 Ohio Street, Chicopee.
Tsatsos reports that, shortly after the incident, both Coutu and the man who had been with him fled the city, but in mid February a person called the Westfield emergency 911 line and said he was responsible for the assault.
The calling party reportedly called twice in the early hours of the morning and identified himself as Jason Coutu. In the first call, the man claimed responsibility of the attack and, in the second call, said that he had used a police baton to beat the victim.
Tsatsos said that he was able to speak with Coutu a few days later through a closed screen door at a West Springfield address and the man accused the victim of a crime, calling his own actions “street justice.”
Tsatso said that he was preparing to file charges against Coutu when the man came to the station to turn himself in and to make a statement.
Coutu admitted to attacking the victim with a police baton and was arrested.
He was arraigned on March 7 in Westfield District Court on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and was enjoined from making any threats or violence toward the victim when he was released on $1,000 personal surety.
The crime is a violation of Chapter 265 Section 15A(b) of the Massachusetts General Laws which provides a penalty of a term of not more than two a and a half years in the house of correction and/or a fine of not more than $5,000.
Coutu is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on April 24.
He was also advised that the offense violates his current probation and he was ordered to appear in Palmer District Court for a hearing March 9.
Carl E. Hartdegen can be reached at [email protected]
