A Massachusetts mayor who ran on a platform of being tough-on-crime is now facing domestic abuse charges for allegedly biting her husband and attacking him with a gasket scraper.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, 54, has been charged with one count of assault and battery on a family member, a misdemeanor, and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for the alleged violent episode, the Taunton Daily Gazette reports.
Local police say the incident occurred after she and her husband, Ted, got into an argument over a ‘marital issue’ that ‘ended up turning physical’ Friday night.
Ted had called 911 over the ‘active disturbance’ at their home on Worcester Street, and told police at the scene that his wife bit him, hit him with a gasket scraper and jumped on the hood of his car to prevent him from leaving, according to a police report.
But he now says he regrets the decision to call the police, and stood by his wife as she pleaded not guilty to the charges against her on Monday.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell has been charged for allegedly biting her husband, Ted, and attacking him with a gasket scraper. They are pictured with their daughters
Taunton Police Sgt. George Lozado said in his police report that officers responded to the O’Connell’s home on Worcester Street shortly after 8pm on Friday, and found Ted on his cellphone in the driveway.
When officers proceeded to ask Ted what had happened, he relayed that he and the mayor got into a marital dispute – and claimed she bit him.
‘Mr. O’Connell stated that during their argument, his wife, Shaunna had bit him on his left forearm and then proceeded to grab a small type of crowbar/gasket cleaner and had struck him with it on his right hand/knuckle area,’ Lozado writes.
He noted he saw ‘an open wound on the left forearm area that appeared to be consistent with [Ted] being bit,’ as well as ‘multiple open wounds’ on his right hand knuckles.
‘Mr. O’Connell went on to state that he attempted to leave the residence in his vehicle, at which time his wife had jumped on the hood of his vehicle, so he was not able to leave.’
‘I did observe a small dent on the front portion of the hood and also a bent broom in the driveway,’ Lozado said.
But he noted Ted did not claim he was hit by the broom.
Ted has since expressed regret for calling the police, and stood by his wife’s side as she faced the charges in court on Monday
He then refused medical attention and declined to file an emergency restraining order against his wife – telling the officers that he was concerned for her well-being.
When police then entered the home, Lozado said Shaunna initially told cops she ‘had no intention’ of opening an upstairs door after they asked to speak with her.
But Lozado said he was ‘able to look through a small crack and observe Shaunna on the phone, and she did not appear to have any injuries.’
At some point, the mayor relented, and let the officers in to question her while she sat on a bed, the police report says.
Police say Shaunna grabbed a gasket cleaner and struck her husband with it on his right hand/knuckle area
She repeatedly said she did not know what had happened, and when officers asked her specifically what caused her husband’s injuries, Shaunna allegedly said once again she did not know – but later added he ‘had been verbally abusive to her.’
As she was being questioned, the acting police chief arrived on the scene, Lozado wrote.
The chief was then told there was enough probable cause to arrest the mayor on domestic violence-related charges, and the chief informed the mayor that she was under arrest.
She then reportedly grabbed a pair of shoes before she was handcuffed and led outside.
‘Upon exiting the residence, she attempted to see her husband again and began yelling towards him,’ Lozado wrote.
Shaunna tried to downplay the incident the following day – noting her and her husband have been married for 27 years.
The mayor was then led into a police cruiser and ‘placed in a secure cell to await bail.’
The following day, Shaunna tried to downplay the incident in a statement released by her campaign spokesperson.
‘Ted and I have been married for 27 years,’ she said, according to WPRI.
‘Like all couples, we have had challenges. We’ve been working through marital issues.
‘During an argument, Ted involved the police, and regrets making that decision.’
Ted later agreed, as he was seen holding his wife’s hand as they walked out of the courthouse on Monday.
‘I apologize for calling the police,’ he said. ‘I apologize to my wife and the people of Taunton. It was a huge mistake.’
O’Connell is currently serving her third two-year term as mayor, and had previously served as a Republican state representative
O’Connell was first elected mayor in 2019, and is now serving her third two-year term.
She had previously served as a Republican state representative, and won her first election by just 31 votes as she accused her Democrat opponent of being too soft-on-crime.
As a representative, she pushed for the reinstatement of the death penalty in Massachusetts, introduced legislation to lock up migrants and railed against a judicial nominee who supported criminal justice reform.
‘Massachusetts has a reputation for being soft-on-crime, and unfortunately that hurts our public safety,’ she said in 2018.
She later made headlines when her daughter went missing from a treatment center in Ohio last year.
Police in Columbus found Riley O’Connell five days later alone and reportedly unharmed as she wandered around the city. She later moved back to Taunton to live with her parents.
Shaunna has now pleaded not guilty to the charges against her on Monday, and was released on her own recognizance but issued an order not to abuse her husband.
The mayor is due back in court on September 12.