HOLBROOK, Mass. — A police report obtained by Boston 25 details an alleged attack on an unhoused man by two Holbrook Department of Public Works (DPW) employees in June.
Brothers Jesse Baxter, 32, and Jake Baxter, 28, are scheduled to appear in court Thursday. They are charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a person who is 60 years or older or disabled, and witness intimidation.
Holbrook police responded to a home on Linwood Street shortly before 12:30 a.m. after receiving reports of a shirtless man screaming outside and banging on doors at nearby homes. When officers arrived, they found the man covered in injuries. Police also observed that a tent across the park, where he had been staying, appeared to have been destroyed.
The man told investigators he had been sleeping when he woke to the sound of someone approaching. He said two men then attacked him, repeatedly kicking and stomping on him.
The victim told police the assault ended when the two attackers appeared to realize they had the wrong person.
He said he believed the men had mistaken him for another unhoused individual. They then fled toward the intersection of South Franklin Street and Linwood Street.
Investigators later learned that another unhoused man had a confrontation with the Baxter brothers’ father in a parking lot earlier that day. Police say that individual had directed homophobic slurs at him.
Police also used Flock camera footage to place Jesse Baxter’s vehicle in the area before and after the alleged assault. Jesse Baxter told investigators that he and his brother were out for a late-night run when the man approached them while yelling and holding two rocks.
“Every member of our community deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion, regardless of their housing status or mental health challenges,” Holbrook Police Chief David Del Papa said in a statement.
“The Holbrook Police Department is committed to conducting fair, objective, and professional investigations and to ensuring that all members of our community are afforded equal protection under the law,” Del Papa continued.
The individual who was allegedly attacked sustained a broken collar bone, a broken toe, a broken nose, a broken orbital, an elbow laceration, a road rash, a neck abrasion, a small laceration at the back of his skull, and a concussion.
The Baxter brothers are on paid administrative leave, according to the town of Holbrook.
“The Town remains very concerned and takes any allegation of violence seriously, particularly where it involves a vulnerable member of the community,” Town Administrator Anne Mahoney said in a statement.
“The Town’s review is separate from the pending criminal process and will be guided by accountability, due process, and respect for the dignity and safety of all members of the community.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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