Man accused of beating which left victim blinded
WOONSOCKET — A convicted sex offender was remanded to state prison on a probation violation Wednesday after beating a man at Waterview Apartments so badly the victim may have lost sight in one eye, police say.
Ronny Castro, 44, of 729 Elm St. was arrested Tuesday night on one count of felony assault after repeatedly punching a 58year-old man in the face at the 300 Privilege St. high-rise.
The victim told paramedics from the Woonsocket Fire Department who arrived to treat him that he “lost vision in his left eye” as a result of the assault, according to a police report. He was transported to Landmark Medical Center, where he told doctors he could only see shadows out of the damaged eye.
Police said Castro attacked a man visiting a female friend of his after an argument over a missing cell phone.
The woman told police “Castro is a friend she met from the shelter and sometimes she gives him food to help him out,” a police report says.
Castro fled the apartment before police arrived. He was arrested a short time later after police saw him walking about a block from the apartment building.
According the state’s sex offender registry, Castro is classified as a Level II sex offender after a 2008 conviction on two counts of firstdegree sexual assault involving a 31-year-old woman with whom he was familiar.
The judiciary’s web site says Castro pleaded no contest to the sex charges, which were originally brought against him by the Woonsocket Police Department in 2000. He was sentenced to 25 years, including 10 to serve at the Adult Correctional Institutions, with credit for time served. The balance of the sentence was suspended, with probation expiring in 2033.
A Level II sex offender is defined as one who poses a moderate risk of committing another sex crime. As a result of the conviction, Castro also has a duty to notify the police in a timely fastion whenever his address changes.
Since his conviction, the police have charged him with failure to abide by the notification requirements at least three times. The most recent offense was lodged against him on Jan. 18, the judiciary’s web site says.
Following his arraignment on the new assault charges, Castro was ordered held without bail at the ACI until a review hearing in court on May 2.