BOSTON (WHDH) - A Charlestown man accused of holding a 23-year-old woman against her will at his apartment for three days has an extensive criminal record that takes back more than a decade.
Victor Pena, 38, sobbed during his brief arraignment in Charlestown District Court before a judge ordered him held without bail pending the completion of a 20-day mental health evaluation for the alleged kidnapping of Olivia Ambrose.
Ambrose, who is from Wenham and lives in Jamaica Plain, had gone missing Saturday after leaving Hennessy’s Bar, prompting a large search. She was found alive and well on Tuesday in Pena’s apartment at the Bunker Hill housing complex.
Pena has had several run-ins with the law in recent years, according to documents obtained by 7News. He was arrested last July at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, on charges of cheating and obtaining money under false pretenses.
RELATED: Missing Boston woman found ‘crying, horrified’ in Charlestown apartment
He was later released on bail.
In 2013, Pena’s ex-girlfriend accused him of violating a restraining order, according to a police report.
“Her ex-boyfriend, ‘Victor Manuel Pena,’ was walking by her apartment building. The suspect was apparently carrying a television on his shoulder and when he saw the victim, he put the TV in front of his face and kept walking down O’Reilly Way toward Monument Street,” the report said. “The victim stated she was in fear for her safety and she wanted to report the incident.”
The case was dismissed.
MBTA Transit Police Lt. Richard Sullivan said his officers have had many encounters with Pena in the past. He recalled at least two cases involving Pena about a decade ago.
In one case, Sullivan said Pena made women on an MBTA train feel so uncomfortable that officers kicked him out of the station. In another case, he said Pena stared and appeared to follow a woman onto a train.
“The victim felt like he may try to look up her skirt. Staring at her made her very uncomfortable,” Sullivan said. “She got off at Back Bay and sought out an MBTA employee.”
Pena was not charged in either incident.
In 2014, he was arrested following a fight at the Pine Street Inn in Boston. Assault charges filed against him were dropped.
Pena is due back in court on Feb. 11.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)