READING — A 30-year-old Andover man was arrested and charged with a slew of offenses, including assault and battery on a family member and possession of various controlled substances, after Reading police officers encountered him acting suspiciously in a parking lot on Salem Street the afternoon of Jan. 2.
During the interaction with the individual, Reading police were informed by Wakefield Police about a domestic assault victim associated with the suspicious individual.
The subsequent investigation led to the man’s arrest on multiple charges: assault and battery on a family/household member, assault and battery with a deadly weapon (knife), strangulation/suffocation, unlawful possession of a theft detection device deactivator, and carrying a firearm without a license (stun gun).
Authorities also charged the man with possession of several controlled substances, including Class C drugs Klonopin and Gabapentin, Class A drug Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB), and Class B drug Methamphetamine.
In a separate incident later the same evening, Reading officers responded to a motor vehicle crash on Franklin Street.
After their investigation, they charged a 78-year-old Reading man with operating under the influence of liquor (second offense), operating a motor vehicle to endanger (negligent), having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, a marked lanes violation, and speeding.
