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LEOMINSTER – On Thursday, January 5, 2023, Officers Michael Dingman and James McKenna of the Leominster Police Department were dispatched to 7 State Street, Apt. L, following a report of a fight between roommates.
“I arrived on scene and the reporting party, Silvia [name changed to protect identity], was at the front door. She stated her roommate, Rose Baez, left the scene in her vehicle,” wrote Officer Dingman in his Narrative for the incident. “I could visibly see Jen with a cut on her face. She was upset as she was pacing back and forth and talking very loudly.”
While Officer Dingman spoke with Silvia, Officer McKenna checked the area outside of the apartment building.
Silvia told Officer Dingman that Baez, 33, of Cross Street in Southbridge, had been moving out that day. Silvia said the two began arguing because she was on the phone with some of her family members who were bad-mouthing Baez while she was in ear shot. Silvia added that things became physical when she took it upon herself to help move some of Baez’s belongings out of the apartment. Upset, Baez pushed her to the floor, held her there by her head and punched her in the face.
Silvia said her daughter had witnessed part of the altercation.
Silvia added that she would like medical attention because when Baez pushed her to the ground, her head struck the floor. Her nose was also scratched by the punch (Officer Dingman said there was a visible scratch on her nose) and she complained of a sore neck. Officer Dingman called the Leominster Fire Department to transport Silvia to the hospital.
Officer McKenna then radioed Officer Dingman to let him know that Baez was outside the building with him.
“I went down to his location to speak with Rose,” explained Officer Dingman in is Narrative. “Rose stated she has been staying with Silvia for over a month. She says she has another address but was staying with her due to overnight shifts she worked close by.”
Baez said that while she was gathering her belongings, Silvia became argumentative with her while she was on the phone with her family who were badmouthing her.
“Rose stated as she exited the door to the apartment, Silvia punched her in the mouth,” wrote Officer Dingman in his Narrative. “I did not view any visible injuries on Rose. Rose stated she then grabbed Silvia and both of them fell to the ground. Rose landed on top of her and held Silvia by the head to stop her from attacking her. Rose stated they were both attacking each other, but did not believe she scratched Silvia’s face. I did not view any blood on Rose’s fingers.”
Officer Dingman went back to Silvia’s apartment to speak with her daughter. According to Officer Dingman, Silvia’s daughter said she came out of her room when she heard a loud argument. That’s when she saw Rose – who was on top of her mother – punch her in the face.
“At this point, I determined Rose to be the dominant aggressor,” wrote Officer Dingman. “I went back outside and told her she was under arrest. I placed her in handcuffs, double locked them, and checked for tightness. Ofc. McKenna transported her back to the station for booking.”
Baez was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (for hitting Silvia’s head against the floor) and assault and battery (for punching her in the face, leaving a scratch mark).
Baez was released on $40 bail.
She was arraigned in Leominster District Court on January 6. She had a pretrial conference on February 9.
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Disclaimer 2: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from January, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
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