North Reading Woman Charged With Assaulting Federal Officer

NORTH READING, MA — A North Reading woman was arrested on Friday morning and charged in federal court in Boston with assaulting a federal officer. Francesca Elliott, 24, was charged in a criminal complaint with one count with assaulting a federal officer.

The charges are related to an Aug. 17 incident when two people were leaving an event at TD Garden when they entered the grounds of the Thomas P. O’Neill Federal Building on Causeway Street in Boston. A uniformed Federal Protective Service officer was in the area and noticed the pair was speaking in loud, aggressive tones and appeared to be intoxicated, according to the charging documents.

As they got closer to the officer, one person become more aggressive and started charging at the officer, who ordered them to stop — the man kept rushing toward the officer balling his fists, and shouting at the officer to “Do you job," according to the charging documents.

As the officer was arresting the man for disorderly conduct, Elliott hit him in the face with her cellphone, cutting the officer's right eye, according to the charges. The officer let the man go to arrest Elliott, according to the documents.

The charging statute provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.