(RepublicanJournal.org) – A Massachusetts mayor is facing domestic violence charges after allegedly beating and biting her husband during an argument. However, the case has already taken a bizarre turn. Her bruised and bleeding husband has apologized for calling the cops on her.
Around 8:20 pm on July 19, police in Taunton, Massachusetts, responded to a domestic violence call. When they arrived, Ted O’Connell was standing in the driveway of the home. He had a lacerated right hand and a bleeding bite wound on his left arm. O’Connell told them he’d argued with his wife over “a marital issue,” and she’d bitten him then hit him on the hand with a small crowbar.
When he tried to drive off she jumped on the hood of his car, denting it. He told police his wife was in a bedroom and he was worried about her. The twist is that his wife, 54-year-old Shaunna O’Connell, is the mayor of Taunton.
On July 22, O’Connell was arraigned in Taunton District Court. She was charged with assault and battery on a household member and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. O’Connell, who had told officers at the scene her husband had been “verbally abusive” and claimed she had no idea how he got his injuries, pleaded not guilty to both charges.
In another twist, as the couple left court holding hands, reporters asked them for comments. Mayor O’Connell didn’t respond, but her husband told WCVB-TV “I apologize for calling the police… It was a huge mistake.”
The couple later issued a joint statement, saying their marriage had “challenges” and they were “working through marital issues.” The statement repeated Ted O’Connell’s apology for calling the police and went on to ask for privacy. O’Connell, who has been mayor since 2020, was previously a Massachusetts state legislator.
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