Athol man arrested after trying to tow girlfriend’s car with skid steer, assaulting her, and leaving loaded guns in truck

ATHOL — On Saturday, June 28, 2025, at approximately 2:26 a.m., Athol Police Officers Elizabeth Unaitis and Greg Fortes were dispatched to 280 King Road following a noise complaint.

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

“Dispatch stated the reporting party, [name redacted] from 234 King Road, said her neighbor was running construction equipment and disturbing the area,” Officer Unaitis said.

When officers arrived at 280 King Road, they were met on the roadway by Corey Odell and a woman who was later identified as his girlfriend.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] stated she was leaving and Mr. Odell said he did start up his skid steer construction equipment,” Officer Unaitis said. “Both parties said they had been arguing and [Odell’s girlfriend] said she was getting picked up by her grandmother so they could cool off for the night.”

According to police, Corey J. Odell, 32, is a resident of 280 King Road, Athol, MA.

At this time, Officer Fortes asked to speak with Odell by the house while Officer Unaitis spoke with Odell’s girlfriend on the roadway.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] said she and Mr. Odell had been arguing since approximately 9:00 p.m. on June 27,” Officer Unaitis said. “She said Mr. Odell came home and had been drinking, and continued to drink at the residence. She stated this is an ongoing argument between the two of them because Mr. Odell drinks, in what [she] believes to be, excess.”

Odell’s girlfriend told Officer Unaitis that the argument continued outside the residence and it was primarily about Odell trying to tow his girlfriend’s vehicle because it was on “his land.”

Officer Unaitis then confirmed with Odell’s girlfriend that the two live together at 280 King Road and have been in a dating relationship since August 2024.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] said Mr. Odell went into the shed to get the rope to tow her vehicle, and when he came out of the shed, he ‘bodychecked’ her. She did state she knows it was an accident,” Officer Unaitis said. “They continued to argue, and [Odells’ girlfriend] asked if Mr. Odell was talking to his ex after he accused her of being with another man.”

At this time, Odell’s girlfriend said Odell threw his phone at her and it struck her in the chest.

Officer Unaitis asked if the phone had left a mark, and Odell’s girlfriend showed her a small scratch on her chest, which she said had bled earlier but had since stopped. She permitted Officer Unaitis to photograph the injury.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] told Officer Unaitis that Mr. Odell owns guns, but not a gun safe, and she has been telling him for a long time he needs to get one, but he thinks it’s fine,” Officer Unaitis said. “[She] said there were about five guns in Mr. Odell’s truck in the driveway, that he had been driving earlier.”

Odell’s girlfriend also told Officer Unaitis that she has a 17-month-old daughter who lives with them.

“Mr. Odell is not the biological father, but has taken on a parenting role,” Officer Unaitis said.

Officer Unaitis asked if there were guns in the house and Odell’s girlfriend said she was not sure.

“She said Mr. Odell had taken them from the house and put them [i.e., the guns] in the truck today during the argument after he had been drinking,” Officer Unaitis said. “[She] continued to tell [me] about the argument, saying Mr. Odell told her to ‘sit the f*ck down’ and he’s ‘the boss.’”

Odell’s girlfriend then told Officer Unaitis that she was on the phone with her grandmother, asking to be picked up, when Odell came outside and started his skid steer in an attempt to tow her vehicle.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] said the only thing physical Mr. Odell did was stand ‘toe-to-toe’ with her after he came out of the shed and ‘bodycheck’ her, as well as throwing the phone at her chest,” Officer Unaitis said. “She did say the throwing of the phone was intentional, but did not think the ‘bodycheck’ was intentional.”

Officer Unaitis then asked Odell’s girlfriend if she wanted a restraining order and she said no.

Odell’s girlfriend then returned to the residence to gather her belongings while Officer Unaitis spoke with Officer Fortes.

“Officer Fortes said Mr. Odell told him he had sold his gun safe and was going to be transporting the firearms to a family member. Mr. Odell did openly tell Officer Fortes the firearms were in the truck,” Officer Unaitis said.

Officer Unaitis said she then entered the residence to continue speaking with Odell’s girlfriend. When Unaitis explained the domestic violence investigation and the necessary procedures, Odell’s girlfriend became “very upset” and said that she did not want Odell to be arrested.

“She stated Mr. Odell was ‘going to be so pissed’ at her, and that his family was ‘going to try to ruin’ her,'” Officer Unaitis recounted.

Officer Unaitis then explained the restraining order process further, as well as the six-hour hold required for domestic violence arrests.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] continued to tell [me about] the verbal and emotional abuse Mr. Odell puts her under, including constantly telling her to get out, monitoring her, threatening to call DCF to get her in trouble, telling her she doesn’t do anything around the home, and accusing her of being with other men,” Officer Unaitis said.

At around this time, the woman’s grandmother arrived at the house and Officer Unaitis went back outside while they gathered belongings and woke up Odell’s girlfriend’s daughter.

Officer Unaitis said that while she was waiting outside, Officer Fortes continued speaking with Odell.

At one point, Officer Unaitis said she heard Odell ask Officer Fortes, “So, are you going to arrest me?” before adding, “I deserve a night in jail.”

As Odell’s girlfriend and her grandmother came outside to place the child in the vehicle, Officer Unaitis looked over and saw Odell appear to stumble into Officer Fortes’ chest.

“[I] walked over and realized Mr. Odell was continuing to purposely push himself into Officer Fortes, while keeping his hands at his sides,” Officer Unaitis said.

The officers told Odell to stop and Officer Fortes put a hand on Odell’s arm to steady him, according to Officer Unaitis’ account.

“Mr. Odell pulled his arm away and then pushed his right shoulder into Officer Fortes’ body,” Officer Unaitis said. “Officers then put Mr. Odell into handcuffs without issue due to his increasingly assaultive behavior. Mr. Odell said, ‘I deserve it.’ He was informed he was under arrest, at approximately 3:21 a.m.”

Officer Unaitis said Odell was then placed into the rear of Officer Fortes’ cruiser without further incident.

“Mr. Odell did say, ‘Just letting you know there are guns in the car,’” Officer Unaitis said.

Officer Unaitis then asked Odell if the guns were secure and he said, “Probably not, but they’re more secure than what they were.”

Officers Unaitis and Fortes then approached Odell’s girlfriend and explained what had transpired.

Officer Unaitis then asked if she had the keys to the truck and Odell’s girlfriend said the keys were in the truck.

“Officer Fortes opened the unlocked truck and secured four firearms, including a loaded (with three rounds) Ithaca 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, one loaded Ruger LC9 semiautomatic handgun, and one unloaded CZ27 semiautomatic handgun,” Officer Unaitis said. “The fourth firearm was a Optima black powder rifle that did not appear to be loaded or primed. None of the firearms were secure in any way – they were not in carrying cases, none of the firearms had trigger locks, and they were all in the backseat in plain view in an unlocked vehicle. Two of the firearms – the shotgun and the Ruger handgun – were loaded with a round in the chamber ready to be fired.”

The officers informed Odell’s girlfriend that he would be charged with assaulting her and for the improper storage of firearms.

“[Odell’s girlfriend] stated she would be staying with her grandmother for the time being,” Officer Unaitis added.

Officer Unaitis also informed Odell’s girlfriend that the Massachusetts Department of Children & Families would be notified because her child had been in the home with unsecured firearms.

“Odell was transported to the station where he was booked without incident,” Officer Unaitis said.

“Mr. Odell was advised and allowed to make phone calls. He was also advised he was not to be released until 9:21 a.m.,” Officer Unaitis said. “The four firearms and ammunition were entered into evidence. Mr. Odell’s License to Carry was seized from his wallet and tagged as property.”

Odell was charged with the following:

• Assault & Battery on Family/Household Member
• Assault & Battery with Dangerous Weapon
• Improper Storage of Large Capacity Firearm (two counts)
• Improper Storage of Firearm

Odell’s bail was set at $7,500.

Odell was arraigned in Orange District Court on June 30, 2025. Following his arraignment, Odell was released on bail under the condition that he possess no firearms or dangerous weapons and undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations.

Odell’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Sept. 5, 2025.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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