IPSWICH, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Peter Nikas, once a longtime Ipswich police sergeant, faced a judge Friday after being accused of assaulting a detective on the force.
Nikas, who worked at the department for more than 20 years where his brother is the police chief, was demoted to patrolman after the criminal accusations surfaced.
It all started in October of 2013 when prosecutors say he assaulted his live-in girlfriend at their Ipswich home. That was when Detective Mark Ruggerio and his girlfriend say they stepped in.
"We received a message from Anne McLister asking me for help and a place for her and her children to stay, after explaining she had been physically assaulted by Pete Nikas and it involved her young son also," he said.
Next, prosecutors say Nikas turned on them.
"I did everything I could to protect her and her family that night when she came to my house and sought refuge for a domestic abuse situation," he said.
"It was crushing to see Mark being attacked upon his arrival home by Peter, a person he considered a close friend," the detective's girlfriend said.
The defense entered a guilty plea in court Friday, but when the judge warned it would mean 2 years probation and a permanent record, Nikas opted for trial.
"The ramifications of the guilty plea are incredibly great for my client, so we felt it was best to withdraw the plea and move forward to trial," his lawyer said.
The detective allegedly assaulted says it's a shock.
"I was put in a very difficult position by someone I thought of as a very good friend, someone I put my valued trust in both in my professional life and personal life," he said.
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