Listening Helped Mansfield Officer Find Domestic Assault Suspect

MANSFIELD, MA — To find a man who is alleged to have committed domestic assault, all Officer Patrick Penne needed to do was listen.

Penne was assisting the suspect's girlfriend, who said that her boyfriend called her repeatedly after the incident, according to the Sun Chronicle. While listening to the call, Penne realized that he could a train. Officer Gregory Martel confirmed that a freight train passed through the train station at about the same time and an Amtrak official said a man fitting the suspect's description was in the area.

The suspect Carl Salvas, 33, of Mansfield, was arrested near the intersection of Route 106 and North Main Street. He was charged with domestic assault and battery, aggravated suffocation, and uttering threats to murder.

Police say Salvas covered the victim's mouth when she tried to call for help, grabbed her by the neck, and punched her several times during an incident at their Francis Avenue apartment.

Salvas was arraigned Friday in Attleboro District Court and ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Wednesday.

Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch