Boston officer is arrested on assault charges
Police called to wife’s apartment
A Boston police officer was arrested early yesterday on charges of assaulting his wife at her apartment in Roxbury, the department said.
Boston police said in a statement that officers responded to the Intervale Street apartment just after 3:10 a.m., where the wife of Patrol Officer Dennis Morson, 36, said he had assaulted her and damaged property.
Police saw that the woman had been injured and damage was done to two doors in the apartment, authorities said. She declined medical treatment, according to the statement.
Officers also recovered Morson’s department-issued firearm, which was unsecured, as well as several cigarette rolling papers and a plastic bag with “unknown residue’’ from the top of a kitchen cabinet, the department said.
He was charged with assault and battery, malicious destruction of property, intimidation of a witness, and failing to secure a large capacity firearm, police said. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
“These are troubling charges that will be fully investigated,’’ Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said in a statement. “The Boston Police Department continues to ensure our integrity and credibility by taking all alleged matters of officer misconduct seriously.’’
Police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said Morson had “an issue with a prior domestic’’ incident.
In October 2007, Morson was suspended for five days, with 25 days of probation, after he was accused of physically fighting with a former girlfriend, the Globe has reported.
Thomas J. Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, declined to comment on the case last night.
Morson was appointed to the force in 2004 and is assigned to the Roxbury district, the statement said. He earned $99,961.63 in 2008, payroll records show.
It was not immediately clear if Morson had retained a lawyer.
Travis Andersen can be reached at tandersen@globe.com. 
