Man arrested in Orange after chainsaw attack over girlfriend’s dispensary trip

ORANGE — On Saturday, January 18, 2025, Officers Ben Kovacevic and Sydney Richardson of the Orange Police Department responded to the area of 73 Ball Street following a report of a physical altercation involving two males.

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

“A large stick and knife were reported to be involved,” Officer Kovacevic said. “Shelburne Control 911 Dispatch Center further reported one of the males was bleeding and an ambulance was needed. Just prior to arrival we were told the two parties had separated.”

Officer Kovacevic stated that upon arrival, he was met by a male party, Shadey Tamayo, who is known to officers due to prior interactions. Tamayo was identified as one of the involved individuals.

According to police, Shadey Tamayo, 41, is homeless in Orange, MA.

“Officer Richardson checked Tamayo for weapons and spoke with him about the incident,” Officer Kovacevic said. “Tamayo claimed that he and a male, later identified as William Morin, became involved in an altercation after Morin became jealous that his girlfriend, Morin’s girlfriend, [name redacted], brought Tamayo to the marijuana dispensary. Tamayo pointed out that Morin stabbed him in the hand. He showed his hand and there was a minor cut, but there was no indication that it was from a knife.”

Officer Kovacevic stated that Tamayo claimed he punched Morin in the face twice, and that the two then rolled down a small hill through a fence. Tamayo also claimed that at one point, Morin removed a knife from a sheath attached to his belt, and that he took the knife from Morin and threw it.

Officer Kovacevic said he then spoke with Morin, who was “bleeding profusely from his face.”

“He told me he was hit with a chainsaw on his side in the area of his rib cage, then punched several times in the face,” Officer Kovacevic recounted. “In speaking with Morin, he seemed a bit confused. He said he was fine and did not need any assistance from anyone.”

Officer Kovacevic stated that an Orange Fire/EMS ambulance arrived on scene a short time later and assumed care of Morin.

“It should be noted that Morin did have a knife inside a sheath attached to his belt when I made contact with him,” Officer Kovacevic said. “I removed the knife for safety purposes, eventually securing it inside the cruiser. There wasn’t any blood on the sheath or the knife.”

Officer Kovacevic stated that Morin’s girlfriend told him she had recently met Tamayo at the Executive Inn, where she works as a daytime room cleaner.

“Tamayo introduced himself, telling her how he is homeless, and was put up in a room for a couple nights,” Officer Kovacevic said. “[Morin’s girlfriend] said Tamayo seemed very nice and was just down on his luck. He asked for a ride which [she] provided. [Morin’s girlfriend] and Tamayo became friendly, making her willing to help him anyway she could.”

According to Officer Kovacevic, Morin’s girlfriend stated that Tamayo asked her to order a tent for him through Amazon and have it delivered to her residence. She agreed, and he gave her $450 to cover the cost.

“[Morin’s girlfriend] and Morin arrived at Tamayo’s campsite this morning with the tent,” Officer Kovacevic said. “[Morin’s girlfriend] dropped off Morin and left for work.”

Officer Kovacevic stated that the plan was for Morin to help Tamayo clear an area and assist with setting up the new tent.

“According to [Morin’s girlfriend], Tamayo was acting weird and would not allow [Morin’s girlfriend] to do anything at the campsite during the day,” Officer Kovacevic said. “Tamayo claimed he had been off his medication for five days and just needed to smoke a blunt (marijuana). [Morin’s girlfriend] agreed to take him to the marijuana dispensary in Athol.”

When Morin’s girlfriend and Tamayo returned from the dispensary, they met Morin as he was walking out of the woods, Officer Kovacevic recounted.

“Tamayo was agitated and began yelling at Morin saying, ‘What mother f*ck*r what,’” Officer Kovacevic said. “Tamayo believed Morin thought he was trying to ‘f*ck his girlfriend.’ [Morin’s girlfriend] said she had never seen Tamayo act the way he was and she formed the opinion that he may be bipolar and or under the influence.”

Morin’s girlfriend told Officer Kovacevic said she contemplated calling a community support officer “due to Tamayo’s state.”

“Morin told [Morin’s girlfriend] they should leave,” Officer Kovacevic said. “Tamayo attacked Morin by swinging at him and chest bumping. [Morin’s girlfriend] got in the middle of the two. Morin dropped his backpack and said something to the effect of, ‘Let’s go,’ meaning fight. Tamayo picked up a chainsaw and struck Morin on his side with it. They stumbled down a small hill where Tamayo ended up on top of Morin. He struck Morin 6-10 times with his fists, according to [Morin’s girlfriend]. Morin was bleeding heavily and Barlow thought he had lost consciousness at one point while being punched.”

Officer Kovacevic stated that Morin’s girlfriend told him she and a neighbor, who had heard the commotion, broke up the altercation.

“I asked if [Morin’s girlfriend] would be willing to write a statement. She agreed,” Officer Kovacevic said.

Officer Kovacevic said that Morin was transported to Athol Memorial Hospital.

“Later in the evening, I spoke with [Morin’s girlfriend] at the station about the incident,” Officer Kovacevic said. “I provided her with a statement form that she said she would fill out and drop off tomorrow after work. I also returned Morin’s knife and chainsaw to [Morin’s girlfriend].”

Tamayo was charged with:

• Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (to wit, chainsaw)
• Assault & Battery — for allegedly punching Morin in the face multiple times, according to Officer Kovacevic

Tamayo’s bail was set at $5,000 cash.

He was arraigned in Orange District Court on Jan. 20, 2025.

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