ATHOL — On Saturday, June 15, 2024, at 3:04 p.m., Athol Police Officer Zachary Duguay was dispatched to 32 Earl Drive after a woman called 911 to report that her husband, Randy Hartwell, was intoxicated and threatening to kill her.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Duguay and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officers Steven Adams, Alex Griffin, and Sergeant Jarret Mousseau responded to the scene to assist.
“While enroute to the address, responding officers were advised by Athol Dispatch that Ms. Hartwell had mentioned Mr. Hartwell was threatening to ‘bash her head in,’” said Officer Duguay.
According to police, Randy E. Hartwell, 65, is a resident of 32 Earl Drive in Athol. Mr. Hartwell’s wife is 63 years old.
When officers arrived on scene, they announced their presence and entered the residence where they located Mr. Hartwell on the couch in the living room.
“Mr. Hartwell stated to officers to leave his residence immediately,” Officer Duguay said.
The officers responded by telling Mr. Hartwell that they were not leaving.
Officer Duguay then located Ms. Hartwell in the hallway abutting the living room. Officer Duguay and Ms. Hartwell then went into a separate room to speak privately while Officer Adams and Officer Griffin remained with Mr. Hartwell in the living room.
Officer Duguay stated that Ms. Hartwell told him her husband had been drinking all day. When she took the alcohol away, saying she didn’t want him drinking for the rest of the day, Mr. Hartwell demanded it back.
When Ms. Hartwell didn’t return the alcohol to her husband, he raised his fist in the air in a threatening manner while stating to his wife that he was going to bash her head in and kill her. He then followed her into the kitchen and pushed her.
After this, Ms. Hartwell said she then called 911 and waited for police to respond to their residence.
At this point in the conversation, Officer Duguay said he heard Mr. Hartwell “growing irate from the living room area.”
Officer Duguay joined Officer Adams and Officer Griffin in the living room, where Mr. Hartwell was still insisting that the officers leave the residence.
“As Mr. Hartwell spoke, his speech was slurred,” Officer Duguay noted. “Officers could detect the slight odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Mr. Hartwell’s breath which grew more intense as he continued to speak.”
Officer Duguay said he told the other officers that there was probable cause to arrest Mr. Hartwell. Officer Duguay then told Mr. Hartwell that he was under arrest for domestic assault and asked him to stand up from the couch.
“Mr. Hartwell stated ‘no’ and continued to sit on the couch,” Officer Duguay said.
Officer Duguay stated that as he and Officer Griffin took hold of Mr. Hartwell’s arms to handcuff him, Mr. Hartwell tried to tuck his arms behind his back and “actively resist officers from placing him under arrest.” The officers then attempted to pull Mr. Hartwell’s arms away from his body while ordering him to stop resisting the arrest process.
“Due to Mr. Hartwell’s inability to comply with orders, Officer Adams grabbed Mr. Hartwell’s ankles and officers proceeded to bring Mr. Hartwell to the floor,” Officer Duguay said.
Mr. Hartwell kept pulling his arms away from the officers. As Officer Duguay tried to gain control of his arm, Mr. Hartwell swung it towards Officer Griffin, striking him in the upper back. Officer Adams then drew his taser and ordered Mr. Hartwell to stop resisting arrest, warning him that he would be tased otherwise.
After Officers Duguay and Griffin gained control of Mr. Hartwell’s arms, Officer Duguay applied a wrist lock to maintain control while handcuffing him.
“Officer Duguay placed two sets of handcuffs on Mr. Hartwell,” Officer Duguay said. “Once Mr. Hartwell was placed in custody, Officer Adams holstered his taser. Officer Duguay and Officer Griffin assisted Mr. Hartwell onto his buttocks and onto his feet.”
The officers then escorted Mr. Hartwell outside the residence and placed him in the back seat of a cruiser. Officer Duguay then transported Mr. Hartwell to the Athol Police Department for booking.
Officer Adams stayed at the residence to provide Ms. Hartwell with a voluntary statement form for her to fill out about the incident. Officer Adams also informed Ms. Hartwell of her right to apply for an abuse prevention order against her husband, which she later obtained.
At the Athol Police Department, Officer Duguay, Officer Griffin, and Sergeant Mousseau escorted Mr. Hartwell into the booking room without incident. Officer Duguay advised Mr. Hartwell of his Miranda Rights, which he acknowledged and followed up with by not speaking with the officers.
Officer Duguay conducted a search of Mr. Hartwell and found nothing.
Mr. Hartwell was placed in a holding cell, while Sergeant Mousseau contacted David Weiss, the bail commissioner.
“Due to the charges and Mr. Hartwell being on probation, Bail Commissioner Weiss set Mr. Hartwell’s bail at $50,000.00 plus the $40.00 administrative fee for a total bail of $50,040.00,” Officer Duguay said.
Officer Duguay informed Mr. Hartwell of his bail amount and asked if he would like to use the portable breathalyzer to determine his blood alcohol concentration level. Mr. Hartwell did not respond.
At 4:25 p.m., Officer Duguay transported Mr. Hartwell to the Franklin County House of Corrections.
The following day, Sunday, June 16, 2024, Ms. Hartwell delivered the voluntary statement form to the Athol Police Department.
“On the voluntary statement form, Ms. Hartwell stated Mr. Hartwell ‘came after her with his fist in the air,’” Officer Duguay said. Adding, “Ms. Hartwell stated Mr. Hartwell ‘did push [Ms. Hartwell].’”
At this time, Officer Duguay determined that he had probable cause to charge Mr. Hartwell with the following:
1. Assault on a family/household member: “for raising his fist in the air in a threatening manner and stating to Ms. Hartwell that he was going to bash her head in and kill her, placing Ms. Hartwell in fear of serious bodily injury.”
2. Assault and battery on a family/household member: “for following Ms. Hartwell into the kitchen and pushing her after threatening to kill her.”
3. Resisting arrest: “for refusing to follow officers’ orders by pulling his arms away from officers and swinging his arms at officers that created a substantial risk of causing bodily injuries to officers on scene.”
4. Threat to commit a crime (to wit: murder): “for stating to Ms. Hartwell that he was going to kill her and bash her head in, placing Ms. Hartwell in fear of serious bodily injury as Mr. Hartwell had the capability to carry out the threat.”
Mr. Hartwell was arraigned in Orange District Court on June 17, 2024. After his arraignment, he was released on his own personal recognizance with a SCRAM alcohol-detecting anklet, which monitors sweat for alcohol 24/7, under the condition that he submit to drug/alcohol testing, not possess any weapons, and abide by the abuse prevention order (209A).
Mr. Hartwell is scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 2, 2024 for a pretrial hearing.
To learn more about News Link Live’s unique business model, please read the following:
An online business model that could replace local newspapers
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud