FITCHBURG — Court documents reveal that Dylan Knox, the Massachusetts State Police Trooper who was arrested after a domestic incident at his Fitchburg apartment last month, slammed his girlfriend’s head against the wall, strangled her repeatedly, and threatened to kill her with a knife.
Knox, who is now on restricted duty and wearing an ankle monitor at his mother’s home in Leominster, faces felony charges including assault with a dangerous weapon, strangulation, and witness intimidation, along with a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault and battery.
More: Massachusetts State Trooper Arrested Following Domestic Incident in Fitchburg
According to a Statement of Facts by Fitchburg Police Officer Matthew Pawson, on Thursday, August 15, 2024, Knox became violent during an argument with his girlfriend at their shared apartment in Fitchburg.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Statement of Facts in Support of Application for Criminal Complaint submitted to the Fitchburg District Court by Officer Pawson and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Both Dylan and [his girlfriend] have been previously in a substantive dating relationship of six years and currently reside together at 265 Marshall Street with their shared child,” Officer Pawson said. “Dylan pushed [his girlfriend] up against the wall which caused the back of her head to make contact with the wall. Dylan then raised his right fist in a threatening manner but did not strike [her] with his fist.”
According to police, Dylan A. Knox, 31, is a resident of an apartment at 265 Marshall Street in Fitchburg, MA. Knox was born in Canada and is a Massachusetts State Police trooper.
According to Officer Pawson, after pushing her up against the wall, Knox then attempted to strangle his girlfriend by pressing his left hand against her throat, which prevented her from breathing, and caused her to hyperventilate and struggle breathing afterward. Knox’s girlfriend told police that he tried to strangle her four times, with each attempt lasting approximately 30 seconds.
“This pressure applied to [his girlfriend’s] throat was substantial and interfered with her normal breathing as evidenced by causing several symptoms and visible signs consistent with strangulation,” Officer Pawson said. “[Knox’s girlfriend] stated that in total there were four strangulation attempts which occurred for approximately 30 seconds. The symptoms reported by [Knox’s girlfriend] and the visible signs observed were consistent with strangulation.”
Knox’s girlfriend reported that during the altercation, Knox grabbed a knife from the kitchen and repeatedly threatened to kill her, saying, “I’m going to kill you, [name redacted]!” She also claimed that he threatened to use his firearms to kill her.
Knox’s girlfriend said that when she attempted to activate the “SOS Emergency Call” feature on her iPhone to call 911, Knox took her phone and discarded it in order to prevent her from contacting the police.
Officer Pawson said that after speaking with Knox’s girlfriend, Knox was taken into custody and identified by his driver’s license and in-house records.
Knox was charged with the following for the following reasons (according to Officer Pawson):
Assault & Battery on Family/Household Member: “The act of Dylan pushing [his girlfriend] up against the wall caused dizziness and headache which is consistent with injuries from Domestic Assault & Battery,” Officer Pawson said.
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon: Knox was charged with Assault with a Dangerous Weapon for threatening his girlfriend with a knife.
Strangulation of Suffocation: “The symptoms reported by [Knox’s girlfriend] and the visible signs observed were consistent with strangulation,” Officer Pawson said.
Witness/Juror/Police/Court Official, Intimidate: “Dylan did commit Witness Intimidation when he prevented [his girlfriend] from contacting the police,” Officer Pawson said.
Knox was arraigned in Fitchburg District Court on Aug. 16, 2024, where he plead not guilty to all charges. His attorney, Benjamin Megrian, stated that Knox “steadfastly denies these allegations” and intends to clear his name.
During his arraignment, Judge Whitney J. Brown granted the Commonwealth’s motion for pretrial detention based on dangerousness, and Knox was released on $500 cash bail with a GPS ankle monitor programmed with exclusion zones.
As part of his release conditions, Knox is required to have no contact with the victim, is prohibited from possessing firearms, destructive devices, or any dangerous weapons, and must reside with his mother in Leominster until ordered to vacate by the court.
Following his arraignment, Judge Brown said that Knox was ordered to notify probation that he will be going to his home address to pick up his belongings with police officer(s) one time.
Knox’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Oct. 8, 2024 in Fitchburg District Court.
Following Knox’s arrest, the State Police initiated an internal affairs investigation, placing Knox on restricted duty. On August 21, 2024, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission suspended Knox’s law enforcement certification, barring him from performing police duties. If convicted, Knox could permanently lose his certification, which would effectively end career in law enforcement.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from August, 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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