A 15-year-old has been taken into custody in Danvers, Massachusetts, following an assault on a developmentally delayed adult in the vicinity of Holten Richmond Middle School and Plains Park, as reported by the Danvers Police Department. The teen is facing serious charges, including assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as assault with the intention to intimidate on the basis of disability, according to WCVB.
Police arrested the teenager today around 1:30 p.m., six days after the alleged incident took place last Saturday. Despite the arrest, officials have noted that their investigation is still underway and collaborating with the Essex County District Attorney's Office. Details are scarce due to involvement of a juveniles and the sensitive nature of the ongoing inquiry, NBC Boston reports.
Local residents have expressed increasing unease regarding the behavior of a group of teens in the area. These concerns were emphatically voiced at a Select Board meeting on Tuesday night. Chris Anderson, the 43-year-old victim of the attack, who is known in the community and described as being developmentally delayed, also made a personal statement at the meeting. "I was really, really afraid of them always," Anderson told NBC Boston. "I was scared to death of those kids."
After the assault, Anderson's mother spoke out about the incident. Sharing with WCVB, Antoinette Anderson described her son as a gentle soul who would not harm anyone and expressed her sorrow over the violence he experienced. She recounted that he was attacked after encountering the teens in the park while attempting to flee. Following this incident, the community's calls for more preventative measures from the town and the police department have intensified.
