IPSWICH, MASS. (WHDH) - The fire chief in the town of Ipswich was ordered to a mental facility in Vermont after pleading not guilty Monday afternoon to some troubling charges.
Gregory Gagnon, 41, of Dracut, appeared in Lowell District Court, where he was arraigned on a domestic violence charge stemming from a Saturday morning arrest.
Court documents indicate Gagnon’s wife took out a restraining order against him last week following an argument. Over the weekend, Gagnon’s wife told police that he threatened to shoot her in the head “so her brains would be splattered on the wall,” according to the documents. She claims he also pinned her against the wall with a mattress.
In a separate incident last year, Gagnon allegedly put his hands around his wife’s neck and strangled her to the point of suffocation, court documents show.
Gagnon was released into the custody of family friend, who was tasked with taking him to the mental facility. A judge ordered him to undergo a six-week evaluation.
The chief’s attorney had very little to say on the matter when asked after Monday’s arraignment.
“This is a family matter,” Gagnon’s attorney said. “He’s asking everyone to respect his privacy.”
Gagnon has been suspended from the Ipswich Fire Department without pay. He’s due back in court for a pretrial hearing in November.
Authorities say an investigation into the alleged incidents is ongoing.
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