BURRILLVILLE – A Pascoag man was arrested by Burrillville police after attacks on two women on Saturday, Dec. 28 that reportedly involved threats with a meat cleaver.
John Soares, 66 of Centennial Street Burrillville has been charged with felony domestic assault with a deadly weapon, as well as misdemeanor counts of domestic assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest following the incident.
According to reports, police went to the suspect’s Centennial Street home around 9 p.m. for a reported fight in progress, and found a woman in the front yard of the residence with blood on her face. They found Soares hiding in a bedroom with a meat cleaver beside him on the floor.
The victim, a 51-year-old woman, told police Soares “had been drinking all day and had smoked crack earlier,” and that they got into an argument. She said that Soares, a registered sex offender, grabbed a meat cleaver and held it to her neck, then threw her to the ground, causing a laceration on her face.
A 32-year-old woman who reportedly lives in the upstairs apartment of the building told police she heard screaming and ran downstairs, where she witnessed Soares attacking the victim. She said when she tried to stop the fight, Soares began attacking her.
When the woman’s boyfriend tried to intervene, he pushed both into a hallway window, causing it to break. The couple said they locked themselves in their apartment to escape further attacks.
According to reports, Soares did not respond to officer commands and was taken into custody at gunpoint.
