Boa constrictor doused with bleach
Pittsfield, MA (US)Date: Feb 2006
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Derek S Reynolds
Upcoming Court Dates: Mar 23, 2006: Pre trial hearing for both cases
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A Pittsfield man with a violent criminal history was arraigned March 2, 2006 on charges that he violated his ex-girlfriend's restraining order and slashed her car tires. The woman also accused him of previously dumping bleach on her pet boa constrictor. Judge Frederic D. Rutberg entered not-guilty pleas for Derek S. Reynolds, 28, of St. James Avenue, Springfield, on two counts of violating an abuse prevention order and single counts of vandalizing property and cruelty to animals. He was ordered held on $2,000 cash bail or $20,000 surety bond during the hearing in Central Berkshire District Court.
Rutberg also revoked Reynolds' bail from previous charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend at the request of Assistant District Attorney Matthew G. Fontaine. As a result, Reynolds will remain held in the Berkshire House of Correction until March 23, 2006, when he appears in court at 1 p.m. for a pretrial hearing on both cases. Defense attorney John A. Bernardo had asked the judge to release his client, offering an alibi that Reynolds had been with his current girlfriend at the time of the alleged incident yesterday. Bernardo claimed that the ex-girlfriend's report to police contained many inconsistencies and inaccurate allegations against Reynolds. Rutberg, however, grew annoyed at Bernardo's arguments that the district attorney's evidence against his client was slim. "I'm not here to decide on the evidence," Rutberg replied. "I'm here to decide just on whether there's probable cause for these charges."
Pittsfield Police arrested Reynolds March 2, 2006 at his current girlfriend's tanning salon on Elm Street following an investigation of his ex-girlfriend's allegations, according to Fontaine. His ex-girlfriend, a 22-year-old Pittsfield woman, had called police yesterday morning. She claimed that Reynolds had forced his way into her apartment around 7 a.m. and then left; she said he returned shortly before 10 a.m. When he couldn't gain entry a second time, he slashed her car's front and rear tires with a knife, she told police. The woman had a full restraining order out against him, which she had obtained on Feb. 2, 2006 after a previous incident, Fontaine said. Reynolds was ordered to have no contact with her and to stay 100 yards away from her. The woman also told police that Reynolds poured bleach, boiling water and aerosol sneaker cleaner on her red-tailed boa constrictor last summer after an argument. In her statement to police, the woman claimed that the snake, Dee, "still isn't right" from that alleged incident. Previously, Reynolds was released on personal recognizance bail on charges of threatening to commit a crime to wit: murder, malicious destruction of property over $250, assault and battery, and assault with a dangerous weapon � a handgun. He had reportedly assaulted and threatened the same woman and her brother on Jan. 28, 2006. She filed for the restraining order after that incident. References« Back to Search Results
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