No Bail For Malden Man Charged In South End Sex Assault
BOSTON (CBS) – A man charged with a sexual assault in the South End last weekend was ordered held without bail Tuesday.
Boston Police arrested 24-year-old Anthony Smith-Pacheco of Malden Monday, a day after they began their search for him.
A woman told investigators she was sexually assaulted at a business on Harrison Avenue around 2 p.m. Sunday.
According to the police report, Smith-Pacheco went into the business and asked a woman where to find the restroom. They say he then tried to lure the woman into the basement. The woman then asked him to leave, saying she was uncomfortable and that's when police say Smith-Pacheco attacked her. The woman was able to break free and run away. Investigators said Smith-Pacheco then ran off as well.
That night, police released a surveillance photo of the suspect, looking for help in tracking him down. He was captured in Malden Monday after his grandmother called police and said the suspect image looked like him.
Smith-Pacheco is charged with assault and battery, indecent assault and battery and assault with intent to rape. He was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court Tuesday afternoon, ordered held without bail and sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for a 20-day mental health evaluation. He's due back in court April 8.
"He presents with deficits at this point in time and I think that these deficits are consistent with someone that has an intellectual ability," forensic psychologist Dr. Jamie Krauss told the judge.
His competence has been called into question in Middlesex Superior Court, where he faces a list of charges including attempted arson and assault.
The woman issued a statement to WBZ-TV's Lisa Gresci Tuesday after Smith-Pacheco was arrested.
"What happened was plain and simple an aggravated sexual assault by a man I do not know, in broad daylight at my place of work in what is considered a 'good' neighborhood, whatever that means. These kind of assaults DO happen anywhere and at anytime. Though it has been more than difficult to talk about the situation, I instinctually knew that if I had the power to fight, to run and to report it I could potentially save someone else from a situation like this. The bruises will fade, and I hope that my situation can support the idea that it is never the survivors fault. I want women, men and my non-binary friends to continue to find the strength to talk about this issue. We can support each other by taking action and broadening the conversation to rare and confusing circumstances such as mine. #metoo," she wrote.
"I want to emphasize that this is not a women's only issue, and I hope that regardless of my gender the conversation continues into every sphere of sexual assault."
