Man Accused Of Attacking 92-Year-Old Medford Woman Sent For Mental Evaluation
SOMERVILLE (CBS) - Samuel Wambua faces a list of charges: breaking and entering, assault and battery on an elderly person, destruction of property, larceny, and an attempt to commit other crimes. "The crime of kidnapping," said the court clerk in Somerville District Court.
He appeared before a judge with his arm in a cast. He has wounds from shattered glass, after police say he busted through the window of a home on Intervale Avenue in Medford last week, startling the 92-year-old woman who lives there.
"It was surprising because you never hear of it in this area," said Cornelius McEleney, who lives around the corner. Now, police say they are looking into whether Wambua is connected to a cluster of other break-ins in the area. "That's not a person that I want in this area, you know somebody that would hurt someone that's in their nineties," said neighbor Kerry Zebrowski.
Police say Wambua not only broke in, but when the elderly woman ran out for help, he jumped through the broken window again, and grabbed her. Luckily she got away.
Through a telephone hook-up, a court psychologist said Wambua has a long history of mental illness, and recommended a mental evaluation. "We're going to order a commitment to the Worcester Recovery Center," Judge Morris Lynch explained.
Back in Medford, neighbors said they'll lock their doors. "I hope he gets jail time, that's all, or help, or whatever he needs," said Mary McEleney.
The victim's family tells WBZ she is still shaken-up, but has physically recovered.