Orange man strikes brother with baseball bat, pokes him in eye, and threatens him with rock after discovering him wearing his shoes

ORANGE — On Friday, July 5, 2024, at around 9:26 p.m., Detective Travis Rushford of the Orange Police Department was notified by the Shelburne Control Dispatch Center that Thomas [last name redacted], a resident of 74 Packard Road, reported being assaulted by his brother, Camden Hebert. Thomas stated that Hebert had left the residence in a silver Acura, driven by a man later identified as Joshua [last name redacted], and they were heading toward Athol.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Detective Rushford and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

“Shelburne Control was able to find that Joshua lived at 16 Laurel Street in Athol,” Detective Rushford said. “As I was responding, I drove past 16 Laurel Street and observed the vehicle parked in the driveway.”

While en route, Detective Rushford was informed by dispatch that Thomas had reported being struck with a baseball bat.

“I responded first on scene and met with Thomas and Hebert’s mother, Johnna [last name redacted],” Detective Rushford said. “Upon entering the residence, I immediately noticed a contusion on Thomas’s left cheek that appeared very fresh, and behind him was a wooden baseball bat. Thomas and Johnna told me that Hebert was supposed to be leaving for rehabilitation tomorrow in Pittsfield, and that he is upset because of that as well as other issues that have been going on.

According to police, Camden C. Hebert, 21, is a resident of 74 Packard Road, Orange, MA, and is a single student.

Detective Rushford asked Thomas what happened that evening. Thomas said that Hebert came home intoxicated, saw him wearing a pair of his shoes, became upset, and accused Thomas of stealing them. Thomas said Hebert then began accusing him of other things, which prompted Thomas to stand up for himself and tell Hebert to leave.

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“I asked Thomas what happened after that and he said Hebert threatened him,” Detective Rushford said. “I told Thomas that something clearly happened, referring to his facial injury, and he said that Hebert ‘poked him’ in the eye and that his fingernails caused the injury. I then asked Thomas if that was the truth, as our initial call said that he was hit with a baseball bat, to which Thomas said that Hebert hit him in the shoulder with the baseball bat and pointed to his left collar bone area which I did observe to be redder than the surrounding area as if a strike did happen. Thomas said he was sitting on the couch when Hebert grabbed the baseball bat from the corner of the room. Thomas then said he stood up and Hebert held the bat in a horizontal position and drove it into his shoulder. He then said it was after this when Hebert poked him in the eye. Thomas then said that Hebert’s girlfriend [name redacted] was inside the residence with Hebert’s infant and Hebert pushed her and the infant to get to Thomas. Thomas said that Hebert claimed he (Thomas) is the one who pushed [Hebert’s girlfriend].”

At this time, Sergeant Jonathan Cole arrived on scene and informed Thomas of his right to request an emergency 209a Abuse Prevention Order, which Thomas said he wanted. Detective Rushford documented Thomas’s injuries and asked Thomas if he needed medical attention, but Thomas declined.

Thomas and Johnna then drove to the Orange Police Department where they filled out the emergency 209a paperwork.

“In Thomas’s signed affidavit, he wrote what he had previously mentioned to me which is written above, and also that after Hebert walked out of the residence, he came back to the front door with a rock threatening to hit him with it,” Detective Rushford said. “I then contacted the honorable on-call Judge Andrew Abdella and explained the incident and Thomas’s written and signed affidavit. Judge Abdella granted the order without issue until Monday July 8, 2024, when court was back open and Thomas was advised. I also advised Thomas that it would not be in effect until Hebert was located and served, which he understood. I further explained that if he wished to extend the order, to report to the Orange District Courton Monday morning.”

At around 11:31 p.m., Detective Rushford and Sergeant Cole joined Athol Police Officers Corey Brown and Alexander Griffen at 16 Laurel Street in Athol to locate Hebert.

“As we were at the residence trying to determine which apartment Joshua lived in, Hebert and [his girlfriend] came around the corner of the building and met with Sergeant Cole,” Detective Rushford said. “Hebert was placed into handcuffs and taken into custody without incident. Hebert at times became irate stating he did not feel safe, but eventually calmed down and was transported to the Orange Police Department for the booking procedure. Hebert was booked by Officer [Andrew] Starbard while I contacted Bail Commissioner [David] Weiss who was explained the facts of the incident. Bail Commissioner Weiss set bail for $25,000.00 plus fee. I explained to Hebert what his bail was and also attempted to explain the emergency 209a that Thomas had obtained earlier in the night. Hebert did not wish to be read the emergency 209a, but was informed not to contact Thomas or go to the residence.”

Detective Rushford reported that while he was taken into custody, Hebert repeatedly claimed that Thomas was the one who pushed his girlfriend, resulting in injury to their child. Hebert mentioned having a recording of the incident but refused to show the video to the officers.

“Hebert also stated in booking that he did strike Thomas in the face and motioned that he used an open hand to do so,” Detective Rushford said. “Hebert was unable to post bail and was later transported to the Franklin County House of Corrections by Officer Starbard. I then called Thomas to advise him that Hebert had been served the order in hand, and that he was taken into custody.”

Hebert was charged with the following:

1. Assault & Battery
2. Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon – Baseball Bat
3. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon – Rock

Hebert was arraigned in Orange District Court on July 8, 2024, where Judge Laurie MacLeod granted the Commonwealth’s motion for pretrial detention. Hebert was held in jail pending a dangerousness hearing on July 15, 2024. During the hearing, Hebert was found to be dangerous and was ordered to be held in jail for 120 days, with a release date set for November 12, 2024.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from July, 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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