Suspect accused of attacking woman on Marlborough trail held pending dangerousness hearing

MARLBOROUGH, Mass. — The man accused of trying to sexually assault a woman on the Assabet River Rail Trail Monday morning faced a judge Tuesday.

The woman was walking on the trail just before 6:30 a.m. when a man, identified by police as 35-year-old Jonathan Parker, allegedly came up behind her, pushed her to the ground and tried taking off her clothes.

The woman was able to fight him off and record a video as he ran away.

Parker faced a judge Tuesday where he entered a not guilty plea. He is being held pending a dangerousness hearing.

According to court documents obtained by Boston 25 News, the woman stated she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground.

She went on to state the man attacking her tried to remove her leggings and told her not to scream.

“And he was grabbing at her leggings in what she believed was an attempt to remove them and sexually assault her,” the prosecuting attorney said in court.

The incident report also states that the victim did scream and was struck in the face, causing the suspect to run off.

While he was running, the victim took a cellphone video of her attacker that she passed along to police as evidence.

Erin Balthazar of Marlborough told Boston 25 she was a longtime friend of Parker’s and recognized him in the photos police released of the suspect.

“My friend shared a post online about an assault in town and instantly I recognized who the person was,” said Balthazar.  “I was shocked that it was him. I don’t see him being that type of guy, he’s always the type of guy that protects girls. So to see him do something opposite is totally shocking.”

Balthazar said she contacted police and helped identify Parker.

“I know it’s a friend but you have to do the right thing. No matter who it is.”

In court, Parker’s defense questioned the identification process when it came to the suspect’s image being released.

A full hearing is scheduled for Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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