EASTHAMPTON — A Chicopee man is charged with assaulting a police detective who tried to remove him from an Easthampton High School hockey game last week due to his allegedly drunken aggression toward other spectators.
Shawn Picard, 31, of Chicopee, was arraigned Feb. 18 in Northampton District Court on charges of assault and battery on a police officer and disorderly conduct. He was released on personal recognizance and order to return to court April 14.
During Easthampton’s game against Amherst last Thursday at Lossone Rink, a school official approached Detective Andrew Beaulieu, who was working a paid detail. According to Beaulieu’s police report, the official told him that a man “was trying to start a fight with spectators and appeared extremely intoxicated.”
The school official “already had to ask Mr. Picard to get out of the away team’s bench area because he didn’t belong with the players and the away team did not know who he was.”
Beaulieu found Picard and led him outside, where he offered to get him a ride home. Picard allegedly declined and Beaulieu returned to his detail. Within a few minutes, Picard had come back inside.
According to Beaulieu’s report, “I placed my hand on his right arm to guide him out, but he quickly swung his left around and grabbed the front of my neck.” The detective broke free and radioed for backup; Picard allegedly shoved him before the detective was able to get him under control and into handcuffs.
Beaulieu’s report states that three men accused Picard of trying to fight them. A second officer, who responded to the scene and transported Picard to the police station, wrote that “the booking process was unable to be completed due to Picard’s intoxication. Picard was uncooperative and was insulting to all officers involved,” calling them homophobic slurs.
Picard was determined to be ineligible for bail and officers took him to the Hampshire County House of Correction in Northampton.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.