A Massachusetts mayor who campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform now faces domestic abuse charges for allegedly biting her husband and attacking him with a grout 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” on Friday night.
Ted had called 911 about the “active disturbance” at his 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 police and supported his wife when she pleaded not guilty to the charges against her on Monday.
Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell has been charged with allegedly biting her husband, Ted, and attacking him with a grout scraper. They are pictured with their daughters.
Taunton Police Sgt. George Lozado said in his police report that officers responded to O’Connell’s home on Worcester Street shortly after 8 p.m. Friday and found Ted talking on a cell phone in the driveway.
When officers proceeded to ask Ted what had happened, he recounted that he and the mayor had had a marital argument and claimed that she bit him.
‘Mr. O’Connell stated that during their argument, his wife, Shaunna, bit him on the left forearm and then proceeded to grab a small crowbar/gasket cleaner type tool and hit him with it in the right hand/knuckle area,’ Lozado writes.
He said he saw “an open wound on the left forearm area that appeared to be consistent with (Ted’s) bite,” as well as “multiple open wounds” on the knuckles of his right hand.
‘Mr. O’Connell went on to state that he attempted to leave the residence in his vehicle, at which point his wife jumped onto the hood of his vehicle, causing him to be unable to exit.’
“I noticed a small dent in the front of the hood and also a bent broom in the entryway,” Lozado said.
But he noted that Ted did not claim he had been hit with the broom.
Ted has since expressed regret for calling police and stood by his wife as she faced the charges in court on Monday.
He then refused medical attention and refused to file an emergency restraining order against his wife, telling officers he was concerned for her well-being.
When police entered the home, Lozado said Shaunna initially told officers she had “no intention” of opening the upstairs door after they asked to speak to her.
But Lozado said he was “able to look through a small crack and see Shaunna on the phone, and she didn’t appear to have any injuries.”
At some point, the mayor relented and let officers in to question her as she sat on a bed, the police report says.
Police say Shaunna grabbed a grout cleaner and struck her husband with it in the area of his right hand and knuckles.
She repeatedly said she didn’t know what had happened, and when officers asked her specifically what caused her husband’s injuries, Shaunna allegedly once again said she didn’t know, but then added that he “had been verbally abusive to her.”
While she was being questioned, the acting police chief arrived at the scene, Lozado wrote.
The chief was then told that there was sufficient probable cause to arrest the mayor on domestic violence-related charges, and the chief informed the mayor that she was under arrest.
He then reportedly grabbed a pair of shoes before handcuffing her and taking her outside.
“Upon leaving the residence, she attempted to check on her husband again and began yelling at him,” Lozado wrote.
Shaunna attempted to downplay the incident the next day, pointing out that she and her husband have been married for 27 years.
The mayor was then taken to a police vehicle and “placed in a secure cell pending bail.”
The next day, Shaunna attempted 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’ve had our share of difficulties. We’ve been working on marital issues.
‘During an argument, Ted involved the police and regrets having made that decision.’
Ted later agreed, as he was seen holding his wife’s hand as they left 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 big mistake.”
O’Connell is currently serving her third two-year term as mayor and 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 previously served as a Republican state representative and won her first election by just 31 votes by accusing her Democratic opponent of being too lenient on crime.
As a representative, he pushed to reinstate the death penalty in Massachusetts, introduced legislation to incarcerate immigrants and criticized a judicial nominee who supported criminal justice reform.
“Massachusetts has a reputation for being lenient on crime, and unfortunately that hurts our public safety,” he said in 2018.
She later made headlines when her daughter disappeared from a treatment center in Ohio last year.
Five days later, Columbus police found Riley O’Connell alone and apparently unharmed while wandering around the city. She later moved back to Taunton to live with her parents.
Shaunna pleaded not guilty to the charges against her on Monday and was released on her own recognizance but was given an order not to abuse her husband.
The mayor is due back in court on September 12.
