(NECN)
- An Ipswich, Mass. police officer was arraigned Friday on domestic assault
charges following a three-month investigation conducted by the Essex District
Attorney's Office.
Peter
Nikas, 52, is charged with four counts of assault and battery, malicious
destruction of property and intimidation of a witness. Prosecutors say the
charges stem from a physical confrontation with his girlfriend and a fellow
police officer and a verbal confrontation with the other officer's girlfriend
that occurred last year.
According
to Wicked Local, Peter Nikas is the brother of Ipswich Police Chief Paul Nikas.
He was recently demoted from sergeant to patrolman as part of an agreement with
the town. He was placed on paid leave in the wake of the incident, and it
wasn't immediately clear Friday if he has returned to work.
Prosecutors
asked for $2,500 cash bail on Friday, plus the condition that Peter Nikas be
placed on a GPS monitoring bracelet, remain alcohol-free, submit to random
screenings, no abuse and refrain from contacting or going near the victims with
whom he does not reside. They also asked that Nikas be forced to surrender all
firearms to the Ipswich Police Department.
The
judge set bail at $1,000 cash, which Nikas is expected to post, and imposed all
of the conditions requested by the prosecutor.
According
to the Essex District Attorney's Office, on the night of Oct. 27, 2013, Nikas
got into a physical confrontation with his girlfriend, who then sought refuge
for her and her children at a friend's home. Nikas is then alleged to have
arrived at the friend's home, drunk, at which point he shouted at his
girlfriend. A fellow police officer who also lived there drove Nikas back to
his home and tried to calm him down.
Sometime
after midnight on Oct. 28, prosecutors said Nikas returned to the home
demanding that his girlfriend come out of the house. The other police officer
attempted to stop him from entering the home, at which point Nikas pushed
through the door and got into a physical altercation with the officer, who was
eventually able to get Nikas to leave.
The
matter was referred to the Essex District Attorney's Office by Ipswich town
officials in late 2013.
Nikas
is scheduled to return to court on June 10 for a pretrial conference.