WOONSOCKET – They say time heals all wounds but apparently there wasn’t enough of it to work its magic on John P. Young.
When the North Smithfield man ran across an old acquaintance he blamed for, “ripping him off,” 15 years earlier, Young reached out to settle the score – with his fist, police say.
Young, 41, of 86 Pound Hill Road, was arrested by the Woonsocket Police Department for assault and battery on Wednesday, June 26 in connection with the incident, which happened a few days earlier.
The victim, a 43-year-old man, told police he was walking past 653 Park Ave. on Thursday, June 20 when Young jumped out of a blue Toyota parked nearby. Young, a man he recognized, pretended to reach out to shake his hand, but instead punched him twice in the head.
“Young accused him of ripping him off 15 years prior which was the reason for the assault,” Patrolman Jared Cain’s report states.
The victim had a visible welt and some blood on his head, police reports say. He refused medical attention at the scene but indicated he intended to go to Landmark Medical Center on his own.
Detectives were working up a warrant for Young’s arrest after the victim filed a complaint, but they stopped short of executing it when Young’s lawyer, Scott Lutes, arranged for him to surrender, according to police reports and the judiciary’s database.
The only other time Young has ever been arrested was more than 20 years ago – for being a minor in possession of liquor, according to court records.
He was released on personal recognizance following an appearance in Sixth District Court on the assault charge and is due back in court for another hearing on Monday, Aug. 5.
