Man jailed on restraining order violation

A Springfield man has been jailed for allegedly violating a restraining order less than a day after he was involved in a fight with three men who were changing the locks on his ex-girlfriend's apartment on Commonwealth Avenue.

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Published June 4, 2016 in the Rutland Herald Man jailed on restraining order violation By ERIC FRANCIS WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Springfield man has been jailed for allegedly violating a restraining order less than a day after he was involved in a fight with three men who were changing the locks on his ex-girlfriend’s apartment on Commonwealth Avenue in order to keep him out. James Douglas, 26, pleaded innocent to a felony count of aggravated assault, two accompanying misdemeanor counts of simple assault and violation of an abuse prevention order before he was returned to the Springfield jail for lack of $750 bail on Tuesday afternoon. Windsor County Deputy State’s Attorney Glenn Barnes said even though Douglas assured the court he was in a position to go live with his father in Claremont, N.H., while his case is pending, the state sought some cash bail “given the fact that Mr. Douglas violated the abuse prevention order within 24 hours of being served with it… combined with his general behavior over the last couple of days.” Springfield Police Cpl. Michael Gilderdale wrote in an affidavit filed with the court that he’d been called to Commonwealth Avenue last Thursday afternoon where he found himself between Douglas — whom he said “had wide-open staring eyes, his mouth was gaping open and he had pasty skin with purple bags under his eyes… (and) pupils the size of a pin head” — and a group of three men who were later identified as Allen Kingsbury, 65, James Ribeiro, 21, and Richard Gosselin, 72. Gilderdale said he was concerned by Douglas’ “thousand-yard stare” and because he was trembling with anger and brandishing a 4-inch diameter tree branch. After convincing Douglas to drop the stick and step away from the men so he could talk to him, Gilderdale said Douglas explained that he’d been hit and the men had broken into his apartment. Minutes later, Gilderdale wrote, the trio gave him the complete opposite version of events, saying they had been summoned by Jessica Eastman, who had asked them to change the locks on her apartment so Douglas couldn’t get back in. They said while they were in the process of doing so Douglas showed up and began pounding on the back door before crawling in through a window where he allegedly began to scream at and attack them, Gilderdale wrote. Gilderdale said Douglas did not appear to have any bruises or other injuries to back up his version of events but Ribeiro was able to show him “red definitive” teeth marks on his hand and forearm where he said Douglas had bitten him and Gosselin and the other men said Douglas had hit Gosselin with the tree branch after breaking several tables with it and there were visible abrasions on Gosselin’s leg. Kingsbury went to the hospital the next day where doctors found “he had torn muscles in his right shoulder from being thrown around,” Gilderdale noted in his report. Gilderdale said police had difficulty with Douglas after they arrested him and took him back to the police station because he “became irate and began smashing at the cell door.” “Throughout the processing, Douglas would holler and yell,” Gilderdale wrote. Although he was released later that afternoon, Douglas ended up spending the long Memorial Day weekend in jail after police found him on Friday morning within 300 feet of Commonwealth Avenue despite a restraining order that had been served on his as a result of Thursday’s incidents. During Douglas’ arraignment Tuesday afternoon, Barnes noted that court paperwork filed against Douglas “described how he broke into the home while people were over there changing the locks, the conduct he in engaged in there, the physical observations by Cpl. Mordancy of the apparent recent drug use of Mr. Douglas and how that affected his behavior and his ability to interact with others and to follow commands. The state suggests that of these things … would lead one to believe he is a risk of flight or nonappearance,” Barnes concluded. Judge Theresa DiMauro agreed, saying from the bench that the “strength of the state’s case appears to be pretty strong,” based on the witness accounts and evidence of injuries, adding that Douglas’ “behavior and his physical appearance is highly suggestive of drug use.” Douglas’ court-appointed public defender, Robert Lees, explained that Douglas had graduated from high school in Claremont and then received an associate’s degree in education after attending a community college there. Lees said Douglas has been unemployed for a number of months. http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20160604/NEWS01/160609777