Officers were called to the home at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on a report of a woman wielding a knife during an argument, according to Lt. Praveen John.
However, the responding officers determined that Frank Townsend was the aggressor. They said the woman had tried to lock herself in a bathroom to get away from him and later picked up a knife to protect herself when Townsend forced open the bathroom door. The police were called to the house by the wife’s mother, who tried to break up the fight, John said.
Townsend, who reportedly smelled of alcohol, was taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct, according to police. While being placed in a holding cell, Townsend became agitated and began to take off his clothes, police said.
Officer James Mosher told Townsend to stop, but Townsend allegedly shoved the officer and a brief scuffle ensued. Additional officers rushed to the holding cell and helped to subdue Townsend, who was charged with assault on a peace officer.
While he was in custody, police discovered that Townsend was wanted on a warrant on an unrelated charge of failure to appear in court in connection with a 1998 sixth-degree larceny case. Townsend was held in lieu of an $11,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court Thursday.
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