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DA: Man stomped disabled vet who told him to stop pissing in the street

PlunkettA Somerville man was arraigned on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon today for an attack early Monday that left a man walking down a Beacon Hill street with a broken nose, a broken hand and facial injuries, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

A Boston Municipal Court judge set bail at $1,000 for James Plunkett, 26.

According to the DA's office, the 29-year-old Army veteran - who suffered head and neck injuries in an explosion in Iraq - was walking near the intersection of Charles and Pinckney streets around 1:30 a.m. with his wife, when he saw a couple of guys urinating on the sidewalk:

The veteran asked the men to "put it away" so he and his wife could pass by.

Prosecutors say an argument ensued and the two men then followed the couple to their car, where both men threw several punches at the victim. When the victim fell to the ground, Plunkett allegedly continued to punch and kick him, prosecutors said.

His wife, not injured in the attack, called 911.

Police have identified the second man, who may face charges of his own in the near future, the DA's office says.

"It’s just disgusting that anyone, much less a man injured in service to his country, would be attacked like this on the streets of Boston," DA Dan Conley said in a statement.

Innocent, etc.

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Comments

Thankfully cars replaced horses fouling the streets, and allowing horse and carriage houses to be converted to housing. MTV Real World was nearly as bad. No more.

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One year in jail, 200 hours of community service with veteran's organizations, and the man must legally change his name, since he doesn't deserve to share his name with a former New England Patriot.

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A year in jail isn't enough for a guy who assaults anybody, especially someone who's disabled, but a long, hard stint of community service in conjunction with a jail sentence might be an even better way to go. As for a guy having to legally changing a name, I'm not sure that would work very well, and it wouldn't be necessary.

In any case, the guy who pissed in the street was not only wrong, but he and his companions were more wrong to assault somebody for telling them to stop urinating in the street.

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"It’s just disgusting that anyone, much less a man injured in service to his country, would be attacked like this on the streets of Boston," DA Dan Conley said in a statement.

What a bunch of pandering bullshit. I don't care if you were injured recapturing Disneyland during an invasion by spacepirates, or a tax accountant. The crime isn't more "disgusting", and I damn well expect both crimes to be taken equally seriously by both police and the DA.

What's "disgusting" is that DA's won't pursue charges against criminals unless it's 'worth it' to them politically.

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I dislike public urination as much as the next guy.

But two things about this story stick out (so to speak):
1. I doubt most people could stop mid-stream, even if they wanted to.
2. What does the victim's veteran status have to do with anything? Should the suspect have asked, "Do you happen to be a veteran?" before beating him up?

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1. It's not so much the part where the guy didn't stop mid-stream, as the part where he and his friend - two against one - followed the victim back to his car and beat him to the ground.

2. I agree with you on the second point, legally speaking. There's no legal bearing and the DA is simply leveraging the vet status to bolster a case against the alleged perp and possibly-maybe gain some public points at the same time. Same as if the victim were a defenseless old lady, or a person with disabilities, or an able-bodied person who had spent their whole life selflessly helping others: it creates a pity factor for the victim and therefore an additional shame factor for the defendant.
Extra-judicially, the point of naming the victim's veteran status speaks to the social contract (I can already tell someone will dissect or nitpick this term, seems the best term I can conjure at the moment) of defending the dignity of those who made the ultimate risk on the battleground so that the rest of us don't have to.

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I thought that for it to be the greater charge of assault on a person with a disability, it had to be someone who is largely dependent for a good portion of their care? I know that for mandated reporting, a mandated reporter doesn't have to report a case of simple assault that they witness or hear about, and doesn't have to report every case of assault on any person with a disability, but does have to report cases of assault on a person who is dependent for a lot of their care (basically, someone who might not have the skills to press charges on their own, might not be able to go get and use a phone on their own, might not be alone enough to do so, etc.)

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Know someone whom knows this guy very well, i.e., the veteran. States that the 'fool' and his boy were partially blocking the sidewalk and were loud and idiotic.

Guy asked the clown to 'put it away', so that he and his wife could pass by without walking into streams of pee. Wonderful display of male power.

Clown was so intoxicated that he had trouble holding his balance, et cet. Don't know about his associate(correct description??)

Clown was loud and screaming at all comers on and passerbys.

Guy and wife walked back to vehicle and were set upon from behind by belligerents. Great job guys, go have a few more and really show what ur testosterone will do.

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I choose not to confront people because I am alone. Aggressive drunks are getting more common. Men, women, homeless, well dressed. All kinds.

And people pay over $700 per/sq ft to live here.

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