Probation given for assault in Mass. opossum dispute

ATTLEBORO — A Mansfield man charged with assaulting two women who confronted his friend for shooting an opossum outside their North Attleboro home was sentenced to two years’ probation Friday.

Michael J. Borden, 33, admitted in Attleboro District Court that police had sufficient evidence to prove him guilty but the case was continued without a finding for two years.

Borden, who had only one brush with the law on his record, was also ordered to take anger management classes and undergo a mental health evaluation. He must also stay away from the women.

The altercation happened on Sept. 14, 2020, in the area of Prospect and West streets in North Attleboro when a woman and her niece confronted the men and words were exchanged.

During the confrontation, the women went to take a photo of the two men and the license plate of their vehicle.

Borden admitted to kicking one of the women in the face and punching the other and dragging both by the hair across a driveway.

Assistant District Attorney Alexandria Murphy recommended a suspended jail term with probation even though the defendant had only one brush with the law in Rhode Island.

“Your honor, these actions are inexcusable,” Murphy said.

But Judge Edmund Mathers sided with defense lawyer Matthew Carter who said his client has been employed and lacked a criminal record that warranted a guilty finding on his record.

In October, a 27-year-old North Attleboro man, Michael Dorsey-Reed, admitted to shooting the opossum with a pellet gun. His case cased was continued without a finding for six months with probation.

The animal, dubbed Hope, was taken to Nature’s Nurse Wildlife Rehabilitation in Franklin where it underwent surgery to remove the pellets.