Winchendon woman arrested for violating harassment order against elderly neighbor, alleges assault by roommate

WINCHENDON — On Saturday, August 10, 2024, at approximately 3:16 p.m., 74-year-old Robert [last name redacted] called Winchendon dispatch requesting an officer at 196 Glenallen Street because Saraya Scott was at his apartment and he did not want her there. Robert indicated he had an active harassment prevention order against Saraya. One of the conditions of the order stated Saraya must remain 100 yards from his apartment.

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

“Dispatch logs indicated Saraya was served in hand with the harassment order at 2:40 p.m. on April 22, 2024, and the order expires on April 18, 2025,” Officer Smith said. “Officer Richard Oinonen and I responded.”

According to police, Saraya Scott, 30, is a resident of 196 Glenallen Street, Apt. 2, Winchendon, MA.

“On arrival, Saraya was in the driveway around the rear of 196 Glenallen Street. (I estimated 25 yards from the home),” Officer Smith said. “Robert was standing near the side door with the harassment order in his hand. Officer Oinonen spoke to Saraya who denied being served the current harassment order, and argued every order was dropped. Officer Oinonen spoke to Robert, and I spoke to Terrence.”

According to police, Terrence [last name redacted], age 61, is Scott’s roommate. Both Scott and Terrence reside in apartment 2 at 196 Glenallen Street, while Robert, their neighbor, resides in apartment one of the same building. Although Terrence and Scott share the apartment, Officer Smith’s report did not specify the nature of their relationship.

“Terrence told me Saraya has been at the residence for some time despite the order being in effect, but Saraya’s drinking is what prompted the call to police today,” Officer Smith said. “Terrence also told me Saraya had assaulted him last night by pushing him up against a door in the home so he could not leave the room, and minutes later, got in his face and was ‘nose-to-nose.’ I would later ask Terrence further detail on this matter, and he said Saraya had also grabbed his arm in an attempt to grab his phone. Terrence was not interested in charging Saraya with assault and battery, he only wanted to see Saraya in better health.”

After speaking with Terrence, Officer Smith told Scott that she was under arrest for violating a harassment prevention order and handcuffed her behind the back.

“I secured Saraya in the rear of my cruiser and transported Saraya back to the station,” Officer Smith said. “Saraya was booked, searched, her property inventoried, and afforded all applicable rights. Saraya was read her Miranda rights, understood them, and chose to speak. I could smell a light odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Saraya’s person in the close confines of the booking room. During the booking process, Saraya made allegations post-arrest that Terrence had assaulted her last night and could not call police because she did not have a phone. Saraya became upset we did not photograph her injuries or ask about the assault on scene when she told us about it. Saraya never alleged an assault on scene before her arrest. I photographed her injuries which she alleged was from last night.”

Officer Smith asked Scott how Terrence assaulted her. She said that Terrence ripped out some of her hair, scratched her legs and chest, and bruised her arms.

“I did see some patches of hair missing near the top of her head, two scratches on her left leg, and two scratches on her right leg,” Officer Smith said. “I did not see any fresh bruising on her arms. Saraya said she had a scratch under her left breast, and out of respect I told her I would document it over photographing it (which she requested) since she was wearing a dress and no brassiere . None of the scratches or bruises on her extremities and chest appeared fresh except for a small bruise on her left knee. With the exception of the bruise on her left knee, all scratches and bruises were almost fully healed. I was going to ask more questions for further detail, but Saraya stopped answering me and declared she was pleading the 5th. Earlier, Saraya had told us she walked to the North Of The Border package store today, where I found it reasonable to believe she would have had the opportunity to use a phone to call 911 and report the assault. This lack of reporting, in combination with her old injuries, alcohol intake, lack of cooperation despite claiming to be a victim, and only making the allegations post-arrest led me to believe her report was retaliatory in nature, and possibly fabricated.”

Scott was charged with violating a harassment prevention order.

“As Saraya violated a Harassment Prevention Order in which she is the defendant by being within 100 yards of the plaintiff’s (Robert’s) residence, she was charged with Violation of a Harassment Prevention Order under MGL c.258E s.9,” Officer Smith explained.

Officer Smith said that Scott was placed in a holding cell at the Winchendon Police Station at around 3:59 p.m.

Scott’s bail was set at $100.

Scott was arraigned in Winchendon District Court on Aug. 12, 2024. Following her arraignment, she was released on her own personal recognizance.

Scott attended a pretrial hearing on Oct. 2, 2024. Her next court date was scheduled for Oct. 16, 2024.

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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