Repeat domestic abuser from Fall River sentenced to jail

A habitual Fall River domestic abuser convicted after a three-day jury trial in Fall River Superior Court was sentenced last Friday to two-and-a-half years in jail, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said.

Aaron Ferreira, 32, was convicted of assault and battery on a family or household member Jan. 21.  He was sentenced Feb. 7 by Judge Renee Dupuis to two-and-a-half years in Bristol County House of Corrections, with one year to serve, and the balance of the sentence was suspended for three years.

During the early morning hours of Jan. 27, 2018, Fall River police were called to the drive-through line of McDonald's, 300 Plymouth Ave., for "an incident" but the victim was gone by the time they arrived, according to a release from the DA's office. Police found the victim "visibly upset and disheveled" on Hamlet Street, the DA said. The victim told officers she had been in line at the restaurant with her boyfriend, Aaron Ferreira, in the passenger seat. At some point, the woman told police, Ferreira became angry and punched her several times in the face and body. Ferreira then got out of the car and fled on foot.

Officers noted swelling around the victim’s eye and had her transported to St. Anne’s Hospital for an evaluation. While awaiting assistance at the hospital, Ferreira called the victim multiple times, calling her a “snitch," 0among other names, according to police. The name-calling was loud enough for an officer to hear.

The defendant is a habitual offender who has served time for domestic violence incidents. He also has six prior restraining orders against him from five women.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Zachary Mercer.

“I am very pleased the jury held the defendant accountable for this assault outside of a McDonald’s," Quinn said in a statement. "The defendant has a history of assaultive behavior against women and needed to be taken off the street."