Amesbury father charged with hitting his children

Dave Rogers, The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass.
·2 min read

Apr. 21—AMESBURY — A local man, charged with beating his children, was ordered to stay out of the city and away from the alleged victims after being arraigned Tuesday in Newburyport District Court.

Johnathan M. Silva, 36, of Hope Drive was arrested Friday at 7:30 p.m. and charged with assault and battery on a child with injury (three counts) and two counts of assault and battery on a family or household member (subsequent offense). Officers Neil Moody and Shawn O'Brien made the arrest on Hope Drive. Following his arrest, Silva posted $7,500 cash bail.

Judge Peter Doyle ruled that Silva was a danger to the children, but released him on several conditions while awaiting trail.

In addition to staying out of Amesbury, Silva must wear a GPS tracking device, comply with all state Department of Children and Families directives, and abide by all restraining orders. The bail he posted in Amesbury remains at risk if he reoffends. He is due back in court on June 8 for a pretrial hearing.

Moody and O'Brien responded to Hope Drive about 7:30 p.m. to meet with a DCF agent who was investigating possible child abuse at the home.

The agent told officers that Silva had struck at least two of his children, including a 6-year-old, because he was unhappy with the child's schoolwork. The child's injury was so bad that a bruise covered half his face, according to Moody's report.

The two officers were joined by Detective Steven Reed, who wrote in his report that Silva recently struck his 16-year-old son's left ear so hard he suffered temporary hearing loss.

A 15-year-old daughter told Reed that "her father has hit all of them at one point or another," Reed wrote in his report.

The 15-year-old said she saw some of the attacks, including one time where Silva slammed one of his sons' head against a counter, Reed added.

Following his series of interviews with the children, Reed told Silva he was to be arrested and if he were cooperative, the arrest would not happen in front of his children.

Silva was escorted outside and arrested without incident, according to Moody's report.

Dave Rogers is a staff writer with The Daily News. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

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