Leominster landlord and boyfriend charged after tenant alleges assault and property damage

LEOMINSTER — On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Officer Brett Bourne of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched to 582 Main Street following a report of a civil issue regarding a landlord and tenant.

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

“Upon arrival, I met with the reporting party identified as Antony [last name redacted],” Officer Bourne said.

Officer Bourne stated that Anthony said he is a tenant who rents a room at 582 Main Street. He reportedly moved in at the beginning of June after finding the room online and paid the first month’s rent. Anthony also stated that other individuals rent rooms at the same location.

“[Anthony] stated that the landlord, Ms. Deborah Ashman, shut off the power to his room where he resides with his dog and cats,” Officer Bourne said. “[Anthony] stated that Ms. Ashman’s boyfriend, identified as Shawn Conley, who also resides there, around the same time the power was shut off, grabbed Antony’s new bed frame that was in the hallway next to his room, brought it outside and vandalized it by ripping holes in it and striking it.”

According to police, Deborah Ashman, 71, and Shawn Conley, 33, both reside at 582 Main Street in Leominster, MA.

Anthony stated that on June 23, 2025, less than two days prior, Ashman would not allow him to enter the house through the front door because he had brought a friend over.

“[Anthony] stated that Ms. Ashman blocked him from entering the home by means of holding the door and pushing him with it,” Officer Bourne said. “[Anthony] stated that Ms. Ashman shoved the door on him, striking him in the shoulder/upper arm and also his ankle. [Antony] did not want any medical treatment nor had any visible injuries.”

Officer Bourne said that Anthony showed him the destroyed bedframe which was outside.

“At this time, I went and spoke with Ms. Ashman who resides on the first floor of the house,” Officer Bourne said. “Upon entering the residence, I immediately observed that the interior was in an extremely unsanitary condition. There was a strong, unpleasant odor throughout the home. Various items of trash, clothing, and household debris were scattered across the floors, and surfaces appeared unclean and neglected. I asked Ms. Ashman if she shut off the power to Mr. Rivera’s room and she stated that, ‘She couldn’t pay for it,’ despite the rest of the house having power with lights and TVs on.”

When asked about Anthony’s bed frame, Ashman said she didn’t know who did it.

“Ms. Ashman kept referring to Antony as ‘Daniel,’” Officer Bourne said. “Ms. Ashman stated that she told him that if he bought her two packs of cigarettes that she would take that instead of rent and stated that he never bought her packs of cigarettes. Ms. Ashman also stated that he hadn’t paid rent and referred to something he did back in April despite [Anthony] stating that he had only been there since the beginning of June and had no prior dealing or relationship with Ms. Ashman prior. It seems to me that Ms. Ashman is getting [Anthony] confused with another person.”

Officer Bourne asked Ashman if she struck Anthony with the door and she stated, “I felt threatened.”

“Ms. Ashman didn’t give me a reason why she felt threatened and stated that she thinks Mr. Rivera is ‘anti-Semitic,’” Officer Bourne said. “During my interaction with Ms. Ashman, she was uncooperative and displayed a defensive demeanor. She was not forthcoming with information relevant to the investigation and made communication difficult. Despite multiple attempts to engage her in a constructive dialogue, Ms. Ashman remained evasive and unhelpful throughout the contact.”

Officer Bourne said he asked Ashman if he could speak with the other person allegedly involved, Shawn Conley.

“Mr. Conley came out and spoke with me,” Officer Bourne said. “Mr. Conley, lied and denied bringing [Anthony’s] bedframe outside and destroying it. After telling Mr. Conley to be honest with me, Mr. Conley then admitted to vandalizing [Anthony’s] property. Mr. Conley’s reason was ‘because he doesn’t pay rent.’”

Officer Bourne said that since Anthony told him he wanted to press charges against Ashman and Conley he told the duo that he will both be receiving a summons.

“I stated to Ms. Ashman and to Mr. Conley that they both will be charged and receive a summons,” Officer Bourne said. Officer Bourne stated that he also explained the legal process for evicting their tenant and advised them to have no contact with Anthony in the meantime.

“I spoke with [Anthony] at the end and explained to him the process of obtaining a Harassment Prevention Order,” Officer Bourne said. “I also tried to help [Anthony] find a friend to stay with, but he expressed to me that he does not have anybody else. I told [Anthony] to just go to this room for the night and not to engage with the other parties for the time being.”

Officer Bourne said that before he left, Anthony told him he had a video of Ashman slamming the door on him.

“[Anthony] showed me the video and you can hear in the video [Anthony] stating, ‘You can’t push me out of my own home,’” Officer Bourne said. “You can also see Ms. Ashman shutting the door on him and also stating, ‘Get out of here.’ You also hear Ms. Ashman stating, ‘No one’s coming in my home,’ despite Mr. Rivera being a current tenant of the home.”

Officer Bourne stated that all parties then separated into their respective rooms, and he cleared the scene.

Deborah Ashman was charged with the following:

• Assault & Battery with Dangerous Weapon

Shawn Conley was charged with:

• Vandalize Property

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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