Man Charged In Esplanade Assault Held On $100K Bail
BOSTON (CBS) -- The man charged with assaulting a woman along the Esplanade early Sunday is being held on $100,000 cash bail.
Forty-nine-year-old Joseph Barthel covered his face during his arraignment Monday, charged with indecent assault and open and gross lewdness.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports
Man Charged In Esplanade Assault Held On $100K Bail
Two state troopers were patrolling the area when they found Barthel on top of an unresponsive 21-year-old homeless woman near the Longfellow Bridge early Sunday morning.
The patrols were part of stepped up security for the 4th of July.
Police say Barthel was belligerent at the time of his arrest, telling them: "You didn't see [expletive] and you can't prove [expletive] either. I beat that rape case and my lawyer will beat this [expletive] case, too."
The alleged victim told police Barthel was a "friend of a friend" and the two had been drinking earlier in the day.
According to the Suffolk County DA, the earlier rape case Barthel was charged in also involved a homeless woman who told police that Barthel had sexually assaulted her after meeting and consuming alcohol together in downtown Boston.
That assault took place in Long Wharf Park last October.
That charge was withdrawn when police were unable to locate the victim in time for trial.
At Monday's arraignment, Barthel's lawyer told the judge his client is a Navy veteran and has nothing like this on his record.
But the prosecution told a different story, noting Barthel's prior convictions and that he gave police a false name and identification card.
Police do not believe Barthel is linked to a series of unsolved sexual assaults in recent years on the Esplanade.
Police revived the woman who told police she had begged Barthel to stop before she passed out, according to the police report.
The woman was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
