Fall River man sentenced for assaulting and stalking former girlfriend, slashing her tires
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WLNE) — A Fall River man was convicted and sentenced Tuesday after admitting to stalking and domestic battery charges stemming from a several 2022 incidents.
Damien Gouse, 46, pleaded guilty to charges of stalking, domestic assault and battery and malicious damage to a motor vehicle.
He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in state prison to be followed by one year of supervised probation upon release.
The first incident occurred on January 10, 2022 when the female victim reported a domestic assault to Fall River police.
Arriving officers met with the victim, who had suffered facial injuries and a mark on her neck.
The victim told officers that her boyfriend, identified as Gouse, had assaulted her multiple times that evening during a car ride.
The victim was driving when Gouse struck her in the back of the head several times with a closed fist.
She exited the vehicle and Gouse chased her and forcefully returned her to the car, taking her phone and keys.
He continued to assault the victim and threaten her inside the vehicle before she ran to a nearby vehicle asking for help, entering the backseat of the car.
The driver of the vehicle took the victim back to her home where she called Fall River police, and she was later transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the assault.
Approximately one month later, Fall River police were called for a report of a damaged motor vehicle.
The victim told officers that Gouse contacted her on February 4, 2022 and asked her to meet with him.
She declined the meeting, and Gouse then called her more than 75 times, threatening her and saying he would slash her vehicle’s tires.
On the morning of February 7, the victim found all four of her vehicle’s tires to have been slashed.
Fall River police were called on February 9 by a neighbor of the victim who said they witnessed the defendant slashing the tires and attempting to smash her windshield with a rock.
