ORANGE — On Friday, May, 29, 2026, at approximately 8:45 p.m., Orange police were advised by the Shelburne Control 911 Dispatch Center that a 911 caller reported a disturbance involving a man and woman near River Mart, located at 426 East River Street.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Chris Bisceglia and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Chris Bisceglia said he and Officer Johnson responded to the location in their assigned cruisers.
When Officer Bisceglia arrived, he said he saw Patrick P. Ward, 46, of Orange, whom he knew from previous encounters, yelling at his 36-year-old girlfriend, as the two were talking near the entrance to the King Pine Apartments, located at 419 East River Street.
“After seeing me, Patrick began walking westbound on East River Street,” Officer Bisceglia said. “While leaving the area, he repeatedly yelled, ‘F*ck you.’ [Ward’s girlfriend] separated herself from Patrick and walked into the parking lot of the King Pine Apartments complex.”
Officer Bisceglia added: “It should be noted that Patrick’s yelling, threats and aggressive behavior occurred in a highly populated public area that has a convenience store and multiple occupied apartment buildings. His behavior caused several uninvolved individuals to stop and observe the disturbance.”
Officer Bisceglia noted that Ward’s yelling, threats, and aggressive behavior occurred in a highly populated public area near a convenience store and multiple occupied apartment buildings.
“His behavior caused several uninvolved individuals to stop and observe the disturbance,” Officer Bisceglia said. Adding, “An unidentified male party approached us from the area of the convenience store. He stated that he overheard Patrick yell to [Ward’s girlfriend] that he was going to punch her in the face.”
Officer Bisceglia said the 911 caller who originally reported the incident had also remained on scene with an unidentified woman and was waiting to speak with police.
“I asked him to stand by while I made contact with [Ward’s girlfriend],” Officer Bisceglia said. “[Ward’s girlfriend] stated that she had just gotten out of work and returned home. She reported that Patrick had been drinking alcoholic beverages throughout the day and was upset about a rumor he had heard involving her.”
Ward’s girlfriend told Officer Bisceglia the incident was only a verbal altercation, but she believed it would have become physical if the argument had continued.
“[Ward’s girlfriend] stated that she was afraid that Patrick would continue yelling at her and attempt to confront her again,” Officer Bisceglia said.
Officer Bisceglia said that while he was speaking with Ward’s girlfriend, a man named John approached him and said that both Ward and his girlfriend had been staying with him at his apartment on East River Street.
“John also stated that he would accompany [Ward’s girlfriend] back to his apartment and would contact police if Patrick returned or caused any further issues,” Officer Bisceglia said.
Before leaving, Samantha apologized to the 911 caller, saying Ward had been yelling and swearing at him because he was trying to contact the police. She told Officer Bisceglia she felt bad because the 911 caller was only trying to help her.
A short time later, Officer Bisceglia was driving through the parking lot of John’s apartment building when he heard Ward yelling from inside Building 5.
Officer Bisceglia said he and Officer Johnson approached the front entrance of the building as Ward and his girlfriend were leaving.
“As Patrick exited the building, I asked if he was finished yelling. Patrick responded by telling me to ‘Ge t the f*ck out of my face’ and continued to display aggressive behavior,” Officer Bisceglia said. “I advised Patrick that if he continued yelling and causing a disturbance outside, he would be placed under arrest. Patrick then began walking southbound out of the parking lot while continuing to yell profanities and make threatening remarks toward us.”
Officer Bisceglia said Ward’s girlfriend decided to walk with Ward as he headed westbound on East River Street.
Shortly thereafter, Officer Johnson and Officer Bisceglia located the couple in an outdoor seating area on the south side of the building.
“Patrick was sitting on a bench, holding what appeared to be a skiing pole,” Officer Bisceglia added. “Patrick kept asking us why we were there and told us to just mind our business. Patrick then started calling [his girlfriend] inappropriate names such as b*tch and hoe. He began to walk away and continued to be belligerent.”
Officer Bisceglia told Ward he was under arrest and to place his hands behind his back.
“Patrick tensed both of his arms as Officer Johnson and I attempted to secure them behind his back,” Officer Bisceglia said. “He repeatedly stated that he had not done anything wrong and demanded that we just let him go.”
Officer Bisceglia said he advised Ward that if he continued resisting officers’ efforts to place him in custody, he could also be charged with resisting arrest.
“Patrick then dropped to his knees and continued to tense both arms, repeatedly stating, ‘Stop, just stop,’” Officer Bisceglia said. “Officer Johnson and I then guided Patrick to the ground and placed him in a prone position [i.e., face down] in an area covered with dirt and mulch.”
Officer Bisceglia said that once Ward was on the ground, he continued to resist by keeping both arms tense and refusing to place them behind his back.
“I was able to overpower his resistance and secure his left arm behind his back,” Officer Bisceglia said. “I then applied a rear wrist lock to gain compliance and assist in securing him into handcuffs.”
Officer Bisceglia said he and Officer Johnson were eventually able to secure both of Ward’s wrists in handcuffs.
“Once he was secured, we placed him into a seated position and checked the handcuffs for proper fit before double locking them,” Officer Bisceglia said. “Patrick continued to resist while being escorted to the cruiser. I apply a rear wrist lock as necessary to gain compliance and complete the escort.”
Officer Bisceglia said that once Ward was secured in the cruiser, Officer Johnson spoke with the second 911 caller about what she observed.
“She stated that she witnessed Patrick spit in the face of a male party who had stopped on a bicycle to intervene in an altercation between Patrick and [his girlfriend],” Officer Bisceglia said. “[The 911 caller] also stated that she observed Patrick push an individual during the incident, but was unable to determine whether the person pushed was the male party on the bicycle or [his girlfriend].”
Ward was then transported to the Orange Police Department for booking.
“Upon arrival, Patrick was advised of all his applicable rights,” Officer Bisceglia said. Adding, “Throughout the booking process, Patrick continued to display aggressive and unpredictable behavior and repeatedly made statements threatening to cause harm to officers if he encountered them while they were off duty.”
Officer Bisceglia said Bail Commissioner David Weiss was contacted and set Ward’s bail at $2,500 cash.
“Patrick was allowed to make multiple phone calls to secure bail money but was unsuccessful,” Officer Bisceglia said. “He was later transported to the Franklin County House of Corrections by Officer [Donald] Hager.”
Officer Bisceglia said a review of Ward’s board of probation file showed a prior Orange District Court case in which Ward had been charged with and found guilty of disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct, with the record dated May 28, 2024.
Patrick P. Ward, 46, of Orange, was charged with the following:
- Disorderly Conduct, Subsequent Offense
- Disturbing the Peace, Subsequent Offense
- Resisting Arrest
Ward’s arraignment was scheduled for the morning of June 1, 2026, in Orange District Court.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in May, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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