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Boston officer charged with domestic abuse

Print | Comments () Posted by Milton Valencia October 27, 2010 10:45 AM

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By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

A Boston police officer is under investigation for allegedly attacking his wife and mother-in-law last weekend during an alcohol-fueled argument, according to court records.

Officer David Marchant, 26, of Dorchester, faces two charges of domestic assault and battery, on his wife and mother-in-law. He has pleaded not guilty and has been released on $200 cash bail, with conditions that he stay away from his mother-in-law and not abuse his wife.

Elaine Driscoll, a spokeswoman for the Boston police, said today that police “arrested David Marchant over the weekend relative to domestic issues. We then immediately placed him on administrative duty and relieved him of his department firearm pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation.”

Marchant does not have any other guns, she said.

According to police records, Marchant’s mother-in-law told officers that Marchant and his wife came home after a night of drinking and were arguing, and that at one point she saw Marchant push and slap his wife. When the mother-in-law tried to intervene, she said, Marchant pushed her and they engaged in their own scuffle. At one point, all three of them ended up on the kitchen floor.

The mother-in-law said that Marchant and his wife continued arguing on the second floor in the bathroom, and that at one point she heard what sounded like a “slap” and saw her daughter fall down the stairs. At one point, her daughter appeared to be unconscious. The mother called 911.

The wife was transported to a hospital for treatment of a sprained ankle.

Marchant was arrested, and police took his gun, radio, and three magazines of ammunition. While being transported by EMS workers to the hospital, his wife allegedly said she was in fear for her life and that she was the possible victim of domestic violence, according to police records.

Jake Wark, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, said that authorities are providing assistance to the victims with counselors and referrals to help.

"She or anyone else involved in an abusive relationship can count on our help, in court and out of court," he said. "No one should live in fear of their partner."