ATHOL — On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at approximately 5:29 p.m., Officer Zachary Duguay of the Athol Police Department responded to 359 Main Street, after receiving a report that Kenneth Brozell, a 61-year-old man who uses a wheelchair, had been slapped in the face by a woman outside the location.
Officers Alex Griffin and Steven Adams responded to the area to assist.
(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.)
After he arrived on scene, Officer Duguay located the female suspect, Guerdema Gabriel, at the corner of Main Street and Church Street.
According to police, Guerdema T. Gabriel, 33, is a resident of Prospect Street in Athol.
Officer Duguay said that Gabriel is known to him and the Athol Police Department due to previous calls for service and arrests by the department.
When Officer Duguay asked Gabriel what happened, she said nothing transpired between her and “Lynn.” When Officer Duguay clarified that police received a call reporting that she had slapped Brozell in the face, Gabriel denied this and stated that she never hit “Lynn.”
Officer Duguay told Gabriel that he didn’t know who this “Lynn” was or whom she was referring to. Gabriel replied by stating – once again – that nothing transpired and she didn’t hit anyone.
“At this time, no probable cause was found to take Ms. Gabriel into custody and she was advised she was free to leave,” Officer Duguay said.
Officer Duguay then spoke with Brozell, who said that he has seen Gabriel around town but didn’t know her personally.
Brozell said that Gabriel approached him on the street, asking for money. When Brozell didn’t give her any and told her to leave him alone, she allegedly slapped him on the side of the face.
Officer Duguay said the slap caused “possible minor damage” to Brozell’s glasses as well as “an apparent minor injury to his face.”
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Officer Duguay asked Brozell, who was using a powered wheelchair to assist in his mobility, if he was medically disabled. Brozell confirmed that he was.
Officer Duguay asked Brozell his age, and he responded that he was 61 years old.
At this time, Officer Duguay said he had probable cause to arrest Gabriel for Assault and Battery on a Person 60 Years or Older and Assault and Battery on a Disabled Person.
“Mr. Brozell requested an ambulance for a medical evaluation of his injuries,” Officer Duguay said. “The Athol Fire Department responded to the scene for the medical evaluation. After being medically cleared, Mr. Brozell signed a patient refusal form and the Athol Fire Department cleared the scene.”
Officer Duguay then continued his investigation, speaking with four witnesses who said they saw Brozell get slapped in the face by Guerdema.
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At around 5:58 p.m., Officer Duguay and the other responding officers located Guerdema as she was walking along Main Street and placed her under arrest.
Officer Duguay said that as he and Officer Griffin were escorting Gabriel to the rear of a cruiser she “began to pull her arms away” from them “officers in attempt to free herself.”
“After advising Ms. Gabriel to stop moving her arms around, she began to comply and sat herself in the rear of the cruiser,” Officer Duguay said.
Officer Duguay transported Gabriel to the Athol Police Department for booking. After she was read her Miranda rights at the station, Gabriel allegedly said she “knew them” and did not want to talk to police about what transpired.
Gabriel’s bail was set at $3,000 plus a $40 administrative fee.
When Gabriel was advised of her bail amount, she responded by yelling profanities at Officer Duguay.
Gabriel was formally charged with two counts of Assault and Battery on +60/Disabled with Injury. (One count because Brozell is over 60 years old and an additional count because he is physically disabled).
Gabriel was arraigned in Orange District Court on June 7, 2024.
During her arraignment, Judge Laurie MacLeod approved a motion for a 15a mental health evaluation for Gabriel and set her bail at $50 “without prejudice.”
Gabriel was released on bail following her arraignment and is scheduled to appear in court again for a pretrial hearing on July 8, 2024.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from June, 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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