Road rage incident in Fitchburg leads to man’s arrest

FITCHBURG » A city man was arrested Thursday after he struck another man with a baseball bat, possibly breaking his wrist during a road rage incident, according to police and court documents.

Police were called to the intersection of Main and Day streets on Jan. 14 on the report of disturbance between two men, and when officers arrived they spoke with the victim and Daniel Santiago, 39, of Taft Street, the reporting officer said.

Santiago told the officers that the incident began when he was turning right onto Blossom Street when he was cut off by a car driven by woman.

About five minutes later, the two cars ended up beside each other at the Main and Day street intersection and a passenger in the woman’s car rolled down his window and began yelling at Santiago, the officer reported.

The woman, whose husband was the passenger that yelled at Santiago, told police that she had inadvertently blocked a car and then minutes later encountered Santiago at the intersection, who got out of his car and began arguing with the man before striking him with a metal baseball bat, possibly breaking his wrist, the officer stated in his police report.

As a result, Santiago was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to court documents.

When arraigned Friday, Santiago, who pleaded not guilty, was released on personal recognizance and ordered to return to court on April 15 for a pretrial hearing.

Leominster man has hearing on charges of domestic abuse and assault to rape

LEOMINSTER » A city man was arrested in December after his wife told police he assaulted her when she began a discussion about a possible divorce, according to police and court documents.

The victim told police that on Dec. 3 that Thomas Gilfoy, 30, of Sycamore Drive, became enraged when his wife began a conversation about a possible divorce, and began screaming at her before striking her in the head with his open hand and throwing a Christmas tree across the room.

While continuing to scream at the victim, Gilfoy made a sexual advance toward her, which she denied, the victim told police.

When she began screaming for help, Gilfoy stopped, caught his breath and released her, the victim told police.

The victim then grabbed her child, ran out of the residence and called police, she told the responding officer, who reported the victim had markings on her lower body consistent with her statement.

Gilfoy was arraigned the next day, where he pleaded not guilty, and was ordered held in lieu of posting a $1,000 cash bail or $10,000 surety bond and ordered to stay away from and have no contact with the victim, according to court documents. Gilfoy posted his bail and was released from custody, according to court documents.

Leominster man arrested on domestic abuse and larceny charges

LEOMINSTER » Police arrested a city man in November for assaulting his girlfriend and taking her purse without her permission, according to police and court documents.

Police were dispatched to Meadow Pond Drive on Nov. 13 for a reported domestic disturbance and when they arrived they spoke with a 38-year-old woman who said Michael A. Tantillo,

49, of Castle Street, had become angry with her because she asked him to leave a party because he was too intoxicated.

While angry, Tantillo attempted to remove a ring from the victim’s finger and then grabbed her purse and fled on foot, the victim told police, who took him into custody on Central Street.

As a result, he was charged with domestic assault and battery and larceny, but an additional charge of possession of a Class B controlled substance was included when officers found a small amount of cocaine on him while he was being booked.

When arraigned on Nov. 16, he was ordered held in lieu of a $500 cash bail and to stay away from the victim, according to court documents.

He posted bail and was released, according to court documents.

He will return to court on March 11 for a bench trial.

Tantillo spent a year in prison after being convicted of OUI and kidnapping related to an incident in 2012 where as a bus driver for a home for mentally challenged children, he drove the bus around for nearly three hours with a child inside the bus.