Jonathan Pinney: Man arrested after trying to dump wheelchair-bound 'imposter' wife into Boston channel
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: A man in Boston has been arrested on charges of assault and battery on a family member and on a disabled person, after allegedly trying to throw his wife out of her wheelchair into Boston's Fort Point Channel. Jonathan Pinney, 38 is currently undergoing a mental health evaluation after being arrested on Wednesday, March 15.
Pinney, as per a report in 10 Boston, told Boston police officers that he believed his wife to be an "imposter" and that's why he was trying to dump her into the channel, Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said Friday per the report. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment after the incident.
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'We would likely be looking at a far more tragic scenario'
When officers arrived at the scene near the intersection of Summer and Melcher streets, they found the woman shaking and trying to catch her breath. Prosecutors say that "Considering the air and water temperatures Wednesday, along with the victim’s disability, we would likely be looking at a far more tragic scenario had this man been successful in his stated intent."
According to witnesses cited by the outlet, Pinney picked the woman out of her wheelchair and tried to throw her over the railing and into the water. The woman confirmed the account to the officers. Pinney was stopped by officers a few blocks down Summer Street, across the channel, and was arrested after matching his description to what they were told by the woman and witness.
Judge ordered Pinney to undergo a mental health evaluation
At his court appearance on Thursday, a judge ordered Pinney to undergo a mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital for 20 days.
Experts say disabled people are most vulnerable to abuse. "People with disabilities are among the most vulnerable populations and are often subject to abuse and violence from those who are meant to care for them," as per Peter T Wilderotter, President and CEO of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, in a previous interview with The Boston Globe. "We need to do better as a society to support and protect people with disabilities and their caregivers," he emphasizes.
