Judge finds Lawrence court officer dangerous
Feb. 25—NEWBURYPORT — John Hernandez, a Lawrence District Court officer charged with domestic abuse last weekend, will remain behind bars until trial after a judge said Wednesday there were no conditions of release that would ensure the alleged victim's safety.
Newburyport District Court Judge William Martin made his ruling after a roughly two-hour dangerousness hearing that saw an Essex County prosecutor and Hernandez's attorney paint completely different pictures of the suspect's relationship with the woman.
Hernandez, 38, was charged with domestic assault and battery, kidnapping and intimidation of a witness following the incident, which was initially reported to police Saturday at 3:36 p.m.
Because of Hernandez's work in Lawrence, the case against him was transferred to Newburyport District Court. He was arraigned in the same courthouse Monday.
The alleged victim told police she considered getting protective restraining orders against Hernandez in the past, but chose not to because of his employment and fears he would "kill her," police said.
The woman also told police that Hernandez has a license to carry guns and owns two firearms.
She told an officer that during the assault, Hernandez grabbed her right upper arm, pulled her away from a door, and then slammed the door. He then stood between the door and the woman, refusing to let her leave, police said.
The woman told investigators she got away from Hernandez and went to the police station on Lowell Street. Hernandez followed her there, however, and told her to leave the station, police said.
After the incident, police said the woman again expressed fear Hernandez would kill her.
Officers also spoke with Hernandez, who denied grabbing the woman and said all he wanted to do was talk to her.
Hernandez denied following her to the police station, saying he just happened to see her parked in front of the building, according to police.
Hernandez's attorney, Socrates De La Cruz, offered a different version of those events during an attempt to keep his client out of jail Wednesday, calling the Lawrence police report "a lie and not accurate."
De La Cruz said Essex County prosecutors misrepresented the woman's statements to police so much so that she hired an attorney to represent her. He told Martin that she would not press charges and wanted the case dropped.
The woman and her attorney were among those in the audience. They were seen in the lobby speaking to De La Cruz after the hearing.
Essex County prosecutor Erin McAndrews introduced several pieces of evidence, including video footage of what she said was the woman entering the Lawrence police station over the weekend and Hernandez following her inside.
McAndrews said since 2017, there has been a string of domestic abuse-related incidents involving the two. The woman tried to report those incidents to police but stopped short each time, fearing Hernandez would lose his job and then seek retribution against her.
When told Hernandez was going to be charged following the incident Saturday, she told the court "he's going to kill me," according to McAndrews.
Following Martin's decision, De La Cruz asked the judge to schedule a trial so the matter could be resolved as quickly as possible. But McAndrews asked for a pretrial hearing date to better prepare for possible trial.
Martin scheduled the pretrial hearing for March 15 via videoconference.
