Man Charged with Domestic Assault

East Providence Police charged a resident of Wampanoag Apartments with domestic assault following his arrest on Feb. 28 at about 1 am.

Christian Gomes, 34, of 860 Warren Ave., pleaded not guilty to the charge at his arraignment in Sixth District Court, Warwick, on Monday. He was released on personal recognizance until a pre-trial conference scheduled for March 19, and ordered not to have contact with the victim.

According to police reports, officers responded to Gomes's apartment and interviewed him, the 30-year-old victim, and a 39-year-old witness about a reported disturbance.

The victim told officers that she and Gomes had been in an argument, and that Gomes had "jumped on top of her on the bed and put his hands on her neck area," Patrol Ofc. Sandra Bonvehi reported.

Bonvehi wrote that she saw "fresh red marks on [the victim's] neck and chest" consistent with the victim's description.

The witness said she had just stepped out of the bathroom when she saw Gomes "being very violent" and tried to get him away from the victim, according to police reports.

Gomes told Bonvehi that the victim had been playing the music loudly, and that he tried to lower the volume several times before the alleged fight.

Officers took Gomes into custody for pocessing and instructed the victim to report to the police department the next day to provide a statement, since she was intoxicated at the time of the incident, Bonvehi reported.