# Littleton officer charged in assault



## cjmajor (Feb 3, 2006)

Littleton officer charged in assault
By ALEXANDRA MAYER-HOHDAHL, Sun Staff

TEWKSBURY -- A 28-year-old Littleton police officer has been placed on administrative leave after police say he assaulted his sister and threatened both her and her boyfriend with a gun at his Tewksbury home.

Jason Truscello, of 30 Foster Road, was arrested Sunday morning by Tewksbury police and charged with domestic assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Truscello had been working at the Littleton Police Department since July 2002, Chief John Kelly said. He has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal charges and of an internal investigation that will be conducted by the department, Kelly said.

Truscello is accused of having assaulted his sister when she intervened in an argument he was having with his 22-year-old girlfriend after a night of partying both in Tewksbury and Boston, according to a police report.

The two couples had spent the night at the Piñatas restaurant and the J Rags bar and grill until closing time before heading into Boston. When the group returned to Tewksbury at about 3 a.m., the argument quickly escalated.

Truscello is accused of having repeatedly forced his 37-year-old sister to the ground and hit her, at one point grabbing her ankles and dragging her off a bed she was sitting on, according to the police report. Her 27-year-old boyfriend intervened several times, separating Truscello and his sister.

Truscello eventually came back to her bedroom and pointed a handgun at both his sister and her boyfriend, yelling "get the (expletive) out of this house," according to the report. The couple left the house and spent the night at Motel 6 before alerting the police in the morning.

Truscello could not be reached for comment, but he told police "that he did not hit his sister ... and he did have a gun, but was securing it because she knew where it was and could have access to it," according to the police report.

Once Truscello was placed under arrest, police removed the handgun and three rifles -- one of them a BB rifle -- from the home. His service weapon was at the Littleton Police Department. Truscello's license to carry firearms was also suspended. Truscello was arraigned in Lowell District Court yesterday and has been released on personal recognizance. He is due back in court on April 21 for a pre-trial hearing. Alexandra Mayer-Hohdahl's e-mail address is amayer-[email protected].


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