New Hampshire Man To Face Charges In Newburyport Incident BOSTON -- A New Hampshire man is accused of using his car to injure a man who was driving to o slow in an apparent road rage incident in Newburyport on Tuesday night. Neil Christopherson, 39, of Derry, N.H., was driving in his Mini Cooper on Storey Avenue when came up behind an Impala carrying a Lawrence couple that was traveling below the speed limit, according to the Newburyport Daily News. Christopherson started waving a baseball bat out of his window, and the Impala pulled over, police said. The driver of the Impala got out of the car. After a verbal altercation, police said Christopherson drove his car into the man, hitting him three times, before he left the area. A witness followed Christopherson to Route 1, where he was arrested. He was charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon to a person over 65, one count of assault by means of a dangerous weapon on a person over 65, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with personal injury and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. Christopherson was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Newburyport District Court. The victim, whose name was not released, suffered minor injuries. Copyright 2010 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved.
Hope it was a R56, what with it's new fangled pedestrian-impact friendly design and all. <grumble ... stupid EU ... grumble>
Odd, in NH there seems to be a difference in assault charges depending on the age of the victum. Now you young folks had better stop making fun of us old folks, or you could be looiking at "verball assualt on a person over 65. Jim
If someone drove up behind me and started waiving a baseball bat at me cursing obscenities the last thing I would do is pull over, get out of the vehicle and confront the guy...he was obviously unstable to begin withut:
Not to be insensitive, but why didn't he just use the baseball bat? I mean, why did he wave it out the window in the first place if he's not going to use it? Sounds like he didn't really hit the guy that hard with the MINI. 3 times = minor injuries? No airbags deployed? Didn't the "victim" have enough sense to get back in the car after the first time? Sounds like the "victim" was running his mouth something fierce. Not that I'd ever condone hitting someone with a car, but there's clearly two sides to this one.
on the Sewing SCAT site.... A guy posted this long sob story about how he was wrongly arrested for doing nothing wrong. Basically, was driving down the highway, unmarked PO-PO tries to pull him over, he books for an exit and parks in a school parking lot...actually backs into a spot. Needless to say the cop was irate and called in backup. I actually looked up his arrest records and listed about 10 things... namely resisting arrest and assault. Once i posted that...the thread misteriously disappeared.:ihih::ihih:
Judge releases road rage suspect with monitoring Judge orders suspect to anger management classes By Liz King Staff Writer Home EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA NEWBURYPORT — Citing his clean driving record and no prior history with law enforcement, the attorney for the man accused of driving his Mini Cooper into a 69-year-old Lawrence man several times on Tuesday suggested the episode was an isolated incident and that his client is not a danger to society. At yesterday's dangerousness hearing in Newburyport District Court, Judge Peter Doyle found Neil Christopherson, 39, of 11 Tobacco Road, Derry, N.H., dangerous, but allowed his release, subject to wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. He is due back in District Court on Friday. Christopherson was ordered not to drive, to begin attending anger management classes and to stay away from and have no contact with the victim or witnesses. Christopherson is charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon to a person over 65, one count of assault by means of a dangerous weapon (bat) on a person over 65, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with personal injury and reckless operation of a motor vehicle. According to police, the incident started as Christopherson was driving east on Route 113 through West Newbury and began tailgating a 2007 Chevrolet Impala, driven by 69-year-old Joseph Toscano of Lawrence, who was driving below the 50-mph speed limit. Police say Christopherson began honking his horn and waving a black, metal baseball bat out of his window. Toscano pulled over on Storey Avenue to let him go by, and Christopherson pulled up behind him. Concerned for his wife's safety, Toscano got out of the vehicle, and a verbal altercation ensued, in which the suspect shouted expletives at the man. Police said Christopherson then got back in his black Mini Cooper, saying "I will show you" and began butting the man with his car, hitting him at least three times, before fleeing into traffic. Police apprehended him at the Dunkin Donuts at the Route 1 traffic circle. Arguing that Christopherson should be incarcerated while he awaits trial to ensure the safety of the community, the prosecution cited 10 examples of dangerousness displayed in the incident, including reckless driving before and after the attack, the waving of the baseball bat, the refusal to keep driving after Toscano pulled over, getting out of his car to get in the altercation, the use of extreme profanity, the lack of concern that the police were called, the intent in driving into Toscano to "show him something," the use of a bat to assault, the use of a vehicle to assault and assaulting someone 30 years older than he is. "I don't know of any indication that this wouldn't happen again," the prosecutor said. "Whatever the rage problem was is something that cannot be solved overnight." Defense attorney Nicole Reilly argued rather than looking at "one isolated incident which may never happen again," Doyle consider Christopherson's past — which includes no prior convictions, no driver's history in Massachusetts, and only one speeding ticket in New Hampshire for going less than 25 mph over the speed limit in 2006. "He's gone 39 years without any involvement with the law whatsoever," Reilly said. She stated that Christopherson is involved in the community, owns a barbershop in Haverhill, where "most of his customers are police," and that friends and acquaintances say the incident is "uncharacteristic" of the 39-year-old. Reilly also suggested that a possible scenario of the incident was that her client was trying to leave the scene, when the victim initiated the altercation by demanding Christopherson exit his car. She said her client may not have known Toscano was elderly because "he looks quite young" and is actually bigger in stature than Christopherson. Reilly suggested the "least restrictive" alternative to incarceration, as Christopherson would like to maintain his business and keep working to help put his 21-year-old daughter through college. Though his car is registered in New Hampshire and he gave a Derry, N.H. address, Christopherson has an apartment in Newburyport, and his parents live in the area, Reilly said, stating that electric monitoring could work, and they could ensure he didn't drive. Christopherson's parents were in the courtroom yesterday for his dangerousness hearing. Outside the courtroom, his mother, who flew back from Florida to attend the hearing, said her son has never been in trouble with the law and insists that Christopherson is not a danger to the public. When asked what could have prompted the incident, she suggested he "just had a bad day." She said Christopherson likes to play baseball, which is why he had a bat in his car. "He's a great kid — everyone loves him," his mother said. "No one can believe this happened."
Well clearly if the old guy driving the Impala Looked younger than he was and was physically Bigger then the accused his actions were justified...Clearly!!! I somehow think there is more to this story than what is being written... I by no means endorse using a car as a battering ram...however some people just deserve what they get...
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I can understand the frustration with someone driving below the speed limit, but even if I had a bad day I would never hit someone with my car. Not a fan of the apparent different assault charge depending on someone's age. Assault is assault especially if you are using a car as a weapon.
I've even had people ride my bumper while I was driving at the posted speed limit. Hey, I figure if they were in such a big hurry, all they have to do is start the day ten minutes ahead of me. Problem solved!