LEOMINSTER —On Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, at approximately 7:49 p.m., Leominster Police Officers Renzo Vasconcelos and Robert Connors were dispatched to an apartment on Central Street following a report of a breaking and entering.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Renzo Vasconcelos and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“The reporting party advised dispatch that the ex-boyfriend of the person who lives there, broke in and has their kid,” Officer Vasconcelos said. “Upon arrival, I activated my body-worn camera, knocked on the door and it cracked open. I then entered the apartment where I observed an individual, later identified as Diego Otoni Soares, standing in the middle of the living room holding a kid in front of him.”
According to police, Diego O. Soares, 28, is a resident of Marlborough, MA.
“I told Diego to let the kid go and put his hands up. Diego let the kid, later identified as [name redacted], go and I placed Diego in handcuffs (checked for tightness and double-locked),” Officer Vasconcelos said. “I then did a quick pat-frisk of Diego to check for weapons and told Officer Connors to bring him outside into the hallway.”
Officer Vasconcelos then spoke with Soares’ ex-girlfriend, Lays [last name redacted].
“Lays said that Diego wanted to see their son, [name redacted], but she said not today,” Officer Vasconcelos said. “Lays told me that Diego then came over, kicked the door open, grabbed [their son], and sat on the couch with him.”
Officer Vasconcelos said he asked Lays if she was placed in fear during the incident, and she said yes.
“I also asked Lays if anything physical happened between anyone and she said no,” Officer Vasconcelos said.
Officer Vasconcelos said he asked Lays if she needed to be evaluated by EMS, and she said no.
“I then asked Lays what the relationship is between her and Diego,” Officer Vasconcelos said. “Lays said that they used to date, but broke up about eight months ago, which was around the time when Diego moved out.”
Officer Vasconcelos then went outside and spoke with Soares.
“I asked Diego what happened,” Officer Vasconcelos said. “Diego said he wanted to see his kid and Lays said no. I then asked Diego why would he kick the door down and he said he wanted to see his kid.”
Officer Vasconcelos said that, at this time, he spoke with Sergeant John Bouchard, who had responded to the scene to assist, and explained to him what had transpired.
“I then went over to Officer Connors and said that Diego was going to be placed under arrest for Breaking & Entering,” Officer Vasconcelos said.
Officer Vasconcelos advised Diego of this and Officer Connors transported him to the Leominster Police Department for booking.
Officer Vasconcelos returned to the apartment to speak with Lays again.
“I advised her of her 209A [abuse prevention order] rights, which she declined,” Officer Vasconcelos said. Later adding, “I then spoke with the two other witnesses who were in the apartment during the time of the incident, Thais [last name redacted] and Josineia [last name redacted].”
Officer Vasconcelos said both Thais and Josineia stated that Lays did not allow Diego into the apartment and locked the door, and Soares then kicked the door down.
“Thais and Josineia said that they were in fear during the entire incident,” Officer Vasconcelos said.
Officer Vasconcelos said that before he left, he told Lays that she needed to reach out to property management to get the door fixed and she said she understood.
“I also told Lays that I would need to reach out to DCF [Massachusetts Department of Children and Families] and file a 51A due to [her son] being involved in the incident and she understood,” Officer Vasconcelos said. “Once I returned to the police station, I filed a 51A with DCF.” (A 51A form is a mandatory report that professionals in Massachusetts, who work with children, must file with the DCF when they suspect that a child is being abused, neglected, or both).
Diego O. Soares was arrested and charged with the following (Officer Vasconcelos’ explanation for the charges are provided in quotations):
- Breaking & Entering Building Nighttime for Felony: “Diego kicked the door down, knowing his ex-girlfriend and son were in the apartment, placed them in fear during the incident, and intentionally damaged the door frame to gain entry,” Officer Vasconcelos said.
- Vandalize Property: “Diego kicked a locked door down to an apartment he does not own, causing substantial damage to the door frame and a crack on the door,” Officer Vasconcelos explained. “The door and door frame belong to Central Village Apartments.”
Soares’ arraignment was scheduled for Nov. 26, 2025. He did not appear for his arraignment and a default warrant was issued.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in November, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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