Jason Aponte, 29, of 60 Walnut St., was arraigned Monday on charges of animal cruelty, simple assault, criminal threatening and obstructing the report of a crime.
According to court documents, Aponte was attending a small gathering at his girlfriend’s residence late Friday night into early Saturday morning when Aponte, who had about 15 beers to drink and some whiskey, allegedly made a comment about his girlfriend’s mother.
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| Jason Aponte |
An argument then ensued between Aponte and his girlfriend, Tanya Brown, 26, which eventually turned violent, according to court documents.
Brown told authorities that Aponte allegedly grabbed her head and shoved it against a hallway wall, causing her to fall to the ground. He is accused of then punching her on the top on the head while she was lying on the floor, says a police affidavit filed at Nashua District Court.
Guests were subsequently asked to leave the party, and a short time later, Aponte allegedly pushed Brown onto her back on a couch, grabbed her neck and began choking her, says the affidavit.
Brown told police that her vision became blurry and she thought she was going to lose consciousness.
During the alleged assault, Brown’s small dog was barking continuously, she told police.
“She watched (Aponte) pick up her small dog and throw it at the French door within the apartment,” says court records, adding a glass window pane at the bottom of the door shattered upon impact.
A roommate who tried to intervene was allegedly held against the wall while Brown was able to lock herself in the bathroom, says court documents, adding two young children — ages 5 and 3 — were sleeping in the apartment at the time of the attack.
Police were eventually called to the residence, at which time they found broken glass, and Brown’s dog, who was yelping and unable to put any weight onto one of its rear legs, says the affidavit. In addition, the dog was bleeding, and appeared to have a large and deep laceration to his leg, along with several smaller cuts to its abdomen, says the affidavit.
Officer Alexander Gangi helped Brown take the small dog to the Humane Society for Greater Nashua where it received medical treatment, according to court records, which do not indicate what type of dog was injured, but identified the pet as “ChiChi.”
“The defendant denied throwing the dog through the French door, and stated he only pushed the dog off the couch,” says the affidavit. Aponte, who admitted to holding Brown on the couch with his hand near her throat, denied that he choked her, according to the affidavit.
He is being held on $3,000 cash only bail following Monday’s arraignment. Aponte will be back in court on Oct. 9 for a probable cause hearing.
He has been ordered to have no contact with Brown or any animals, and to refrain from using any drugs or alcohol.
(unionleader.com - Oct 1, 2012)
