LEOMINSTER — On Saturday, November 2, 2024, at 8:14 a.m., Officers Patrick Doherty and Jonathan Benoit of the Leominster Police Department were dispatched to an apartment at 124 Water Street following a report from a resident that her mother’s boyfriend was threatening to kick her out of the apartment and was on his way there from Fitchburg.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Doherty and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“On arrival, officers were advised the male party, later identified as Jeffrey Cucuta, was outside of the apartment trying to get in,” Officer Doherty said. “We located Jeffrey sitting outside of the building in a U-Haul truck with his girlfriend, Maria [last name redacted], the mother of [the 911 caller]. I spoke with Jeffrey while Officer Benoit went inside to speak with [the 911 caller] and Officer [Dennis] Hatstat spoke with Maria.”
According to police, Jeffrey Cucuta, 46, is a resident of 124 Water Street, Apt. 160, Leominster, MA.
“Jeffrey stated that he had been in a dating relationship with Maria for about two years, and that during their relationship he had ongoing problems with her daughter,” Officer Doherty said. “Jeffrey stated they previously lived in Fitchburg and he had reported incidents to Fitchburg police, including a time when [the 911 caller’s] brother attempted to assault him.”
Officer Doherty then asked Cucuta to explain what lead to the police being called that day.
“Jeffrey stated that he, Maria, and [the 911 caller] had just moved into this apartment last night,” Officer Doherty said. “He stated that [the 911 caller] has a dog that is not potty trained, and that the apartment has carpets throughout. He said that he pushed the dog into the kitchen so that it would not make a mess on the carpets. Jeffrey then stated that [the 911 caller] became upset with him, and stated that he hit her dog. Jeffrey denied doing so, and said that he only pushed the dog into the kitchen.”
Get a banner ad for just $20/month or a video ad for $25/month—both options are flexible and can be canceled anytime. Since our launch in 2022, News Link Live has reached over 1.1 million viewers throughout Massachusetts and beyond. Contact us at newslinklivealerts@gmail.com or click the button below to get started.
Officer Doherty continued, “Jeffrey then said that sometime last night, his work truck that was located in Fitchburg had all four tires slashed. He believed it was [the 911 caller] and her friends, due to their argument. I advised Jeffrey to report this vandalism to Fitchburg police, and he stated he would. He then said that he no longer wanted to reside in the apartment, and that he would like to get his stuff and leave due to the ongoing problems.”
Officer Doherty said he was then advised by Officer Hatstat that Maria alleged that on the evening of November 1, 2024, while she and Jeffrey were arguing, he raised his fists at her in a threatening manner.
“Maria stated she was not placed in fear of imminent battery, but a reasonable person would determine this action to be threatening,” Officer Doherty said. “Maria also stated he had kicked the dog, threw it into it’s kennel, and then kicked the kennel. Officer Benoit stated that [the 911 caller] corroborated this statement, and also alleged that Jeffrey punched the dog. Both [the 911 caller] and Maraia were advised of their 209a [Abuse Prevention Order] rights, both signed an Abused Persons Notice of Rights form, as well as the Dangerousness Worksheets for Maria. Neither party was interested in a restraining order at this time.”
Cucuta was placed under arrest for the following:
- Animal, Cruelty To
- Assault on Family/Household Member
Cucuta was arraigned in Leominster District Court on Nov. 4, 2024. Following his arraignment, he was released on his own personal recognizance under the condition that he stay away from/not contact the victim(s). On Nov. 7, 2024, Judge Mark Noonan said that the victim requested to “strike” the stay away/no contact order, the request was approved, and a no abuse order was added in its place.
On Dec. 12, 2024, Cucuta attended a pretrial conference. His next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled from Dec. 27, 2024.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story was from November, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to get the court documents for the incident. FOIAs are time consuming.
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
