Man Faces Domestic Violence Charges

“A woman who’d been raped and held against her will by her boyfriend jumped out of his car and fled to a police substation on Armistice Boulevard midday Tuesday, according to the Pawtucket police.

As the 41-year-old woman sought help from the police, William E. McKenna ditched his car nearby and ran, said Maj. Arthur Martins. McKenna, 49, was later found in his locked apartment down the street, at 491 Armistice Blvd.

Just three weeks earlier, a judge dismissed two misdemeanor domestic violence charges against McKenna involving the same woman. The Pawtucket police had arrested McKenna on Sept. 6 on charges of domestic simple assault and domestic disorderly conduct.

This time, the woman told the police that she’d argued with McKenna Tuesday morning because he refused to bring her to an appointment, Martins said. She said McKenna got angry and smashed a cabinet on her head, dragged her into another room and raped her, Martins said.

For three hours, the woman said, McKenna stopped her from leaving, Martins said. He finally agreed to take her to her appointment, and as he was driving her down the street, the woman jumped out, Martins said.

Detective Richard LaForest charged McKenna with first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping, simple assault and disorderly conduct, all domestic-violence charges. McKenna was arraigned Wednesday at District Court, Providence, and held without bail.

McKenna has a criminal record that includes several domestic violence charges against different women, all of which were dismissed in court.”

Read the article, by Amanda Milkovits, in the Providence Journal: R.I. Police Digest

 

A domestic violence conviction can have life-altering consequences, resulting in fines, jail time, probation, loss of child custody, and severe social stigma.