BARRE — On Friday, October 31, 2025, at 4:01 p.m., Detective Robert Brooks and Officer Ryan Walsh of the Barre Police Department responded to Gauthier Road following a reported neighbor dispute.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narratives of Detective Robert Brooks and Officer Ryan Walsh and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Walsh arrived on scene first and spoke with the reporting party, identified as Henry [last name redacted], of [# redacted] Gauthier Road, and his daughter, Susan.
“Henry stated his neighbor, identified as Robert Wasielewski of [# redacted] Gauthier Road, Barre, MA, had threatened him multiple times,” Officer Walsh said.
Officer Walsh said Henry told him that Robert was just released from jail and had begun calling his phone repeatedly.
“Henry stated Robert blamed Henry for not bailing Robert out of jail,” Officer Walsh said. “Prior to Robert going to jail, Henry stated Robert had purchased a ticket for a chicken dinner which costs $50.00. Henry stated this occurred sometime this summer. Before Robert was able to attend the chicken dinner, Robert was arrested and held in jail.”
According to police, Robert W. Wasielewski, 65, is a resident of 52 Gauthier Road, Barre, MA.
Officer Walsh said Henry’s daughter, Susan, told him that she spoke with Wasielewski on the phone, and while doing so, Wasielewski said he “wants his $50.00 back or I’m going
to f*ck your dad’s car up.” Susan said Wasielewski then went on to say, “I’m going to f*ck your dad up.”
“Susan and Henry then stated after numerous phone calls from Robert, Robert came outside and continued to yell these threats from Robert’s front yard, which is directly across the street from [their residence on] Gauthier Road,” Officer Walsh said. “Henry stated he believed this is
something Robert would carry out, stating that Robert was very intoxicated at the time. Henry stated he may try and get a restraining order against Robert due to these threats. I informed Henry that for him to get a Harassment Prevention Order [HPO] against Robert, he would need three documented incidents of harassment, to which Henry stated he understood. I informed Henry that criminal charges would be brought against Robert and for Henry to call back immediately if the issue continues.”
While Officer Walsh was speaking with Henry, Detective Brooks, who arrived on scene after Officer Walsh, went to speak to Wasielewski, noting that he had “a prior rapport with him.”
“I knocked on the door and rang the doorbell several times with no answer but observed Robert’s dog barking inside,” Det. Brooks said. “From previous contacts, when the dog barks continuously and Robert is home, he typically yells at the dog to quiet down. Hearing no response, I returned to speak with Officer Walsh, who was speaking with several neighbors. I was advised Robert was home and appeared intoxicated.”
Detective Brooks returned to Wasielewski’s residence, but, once again, received no answer.
“While in my cruiser attempting to obtain Robert’s phone number, Officer Walsh informed me the dispute involved a $50 disagreement,” Det. Brooks said. “Robert had given Henry $50 for an event ticket prior to being arrested. The event occurred while Robert was in custody, and upon his release two days ago, he demanded repayment. Henry reported that Robert made threatening statements demanding the $50 back or there would be repercussions.”
Detective Brooks said he made one final attempt to contact Wasielewski.
“After knocking on his bedroom window, shining my flashlight inside, and calling his name several times, Robert eventually responded and told me to go to the front door,” Det. Brooks said. “When he did not answer, I tried the door, which was unlocked, and announced my presence while entering. Robert told me to come to the back of the house, where I found him sitting on the floor between his bed and the wall. I assisted him to his feet and spoke with him in the living room.”
Detective Brooks said that Wasielewski told him that he was upset that Henry, whom he considered a friend, did not bail him out of jail.
“When asked about the $50, Robert said it ‘wasn’t a big deal’ and that he was ‘over it,'” Det. Brooks said. “He stated he planned to drink more alcohol and go to bed for the night. I left the residence and advised Officer Walsh that Robert appeared calm and I obtained minimal information.”
Both of the officers then cleared the scene.
Detective Brooks said that, the following day, Henry came to the Barre Police Department to speak with an officer.
“He stated he was fearful for his safety due to Robert’s prior threats,” Det. Brooks said.
Detective Brooks told Henry his option was to obtain a Harassment Prevention Order (HPO).
“Henry said he planned to apply for one Monday and would contact us if further issues occurred before then,” Det. Brooks said.
Henry then played Detective Brooks two voicemails from Wasielewski.
“In the first, recorded the prior day, Robert stated: ‘You owe me fifty f*cking dollars. If you don’t want to give it to me, I’m going to take it out of you. I’m just going to be straight up. I don’t play around. I’m done with you f*cking a$$holes,'” Det. Brooks recounted. “In the second voicemail, from this morning, Robert did not make threats but again demanded repayment.”
Detective Brooks said Henry was unable to forward the messages electronically, so he recorded the voicemails on his department phone for evidence. Detective Brooks then transferred the recordings to a USB drive and entered it into evidence.
“Henry added that he mailed Robert a $50 check earlier today, stating he ‘just wants the issue to be over,'” Det. Brooks said. “I advised him repayment was not required and would inform Officer Walsh of the update.”
Robert Wasielewski was summonsed to court on the following charges:
- Extortion by Threat of Injury
- Threat to Commit a Crime
Wasielewski was arraigned in East Brookfield District Court on Nov. 13, 2025. Following his arraignment, Wasielewski was released on personal recognizance under the condition that he stay away from and not contact Henry.
Wasielewski’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the arrest in this story took place in October, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. 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
Why The Leominster Champion Failed
The Medium is the Message by Marshall McCLuhan
The Ego and the ID by Sigmund Freud
