Tribal Vice Chairman Charged With Assaulting Police Officer
Carlton Hendricks, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe vice chairman, speaks at the Mashpee Select Board shellfish hearing last May.
Barnstable police arrested Carlton H. Hendricks Jr., vice chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, on Sunday, March 12, in Hyannis and charged him with assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and interfering with a police officer.
Mr. Hendricks, 53, pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was released on personal recognizance following an arraignment in Barnstable District Court Monday, March 13.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for May 1.
According to the police report from Patrol Officer Andrew Weddell, who was assigned to plainclothes patrol, around 1 AM on Sunday, he and Officer Maxwell Morrow were dispatched to an active disturbance at Willow Street Tavern on Yarmouth Road in Hyannis.
When the officers arrived, they saw a large group of patrons was gathered outside, and they could hear yelling from a group of females inside the tavern that “sounded like several heated verbal arguments between patrons.”
Officers made contact with a security guard at the establishment, who was blocking the front door to prevent people from reentering. Officers learned several females were fighting at the back of the bar.
When the two officers entered the tavern behind the security guard, Officer Weddell said he held up his badge, which was around his neck, and announced loudly several times, “Barnstable police, move out of the way,” the report said.
On making his way through the crowd at the front door, Officer Weddell observed a man, whom another officer later identified as Kenneth Debarros in the report, walking toward him. Mr. Debarros was observed, the report said, to be staring at the officer with “a thousand-yard stare” before confronting the officer, asking, “Yo, you got a [explicit] problem?”
The report states Officer Weddell identified himself as a police officer and instructed Mr. Debarros to step aside. At that point, security and bar staff identified Mr. Debarros as allegedly having assaulted a female patron that night.
Additional officers at the scene eventually located several female parties who alleged they were victims of the reported altercation inside the bar, the report said.
In response to the accusations, Mr. Debarros was asked to step outside to speak with officers, and he responded, “[Explicit], I’m leaving.” When he spoke, a strong odor of alcohol could be detected. His eyes were also reported to be “red, bloodshot and glassy in appearance.” It was at this time officers ordered Mr. Debarros to place his hands behind his back to be handcuffed.
It was during this interaction that a second man, later identified as Mr. Hendricks, confronted police, grabbing on to Officer Weddell’s arm to free Mr. Debarros, preventing officers from placing him in handcuffs. Mr. Hendricks then pushed Officer Weddell back with his arms and body, the report said.
The report state Mr. Debarros left the scene without being questioned by police.
The officer then turned their attention to Mr. Hendricks, who was informed he was being arrested for interfering with a police officer, the report said. In response, Mr. Hendricks yelled expletives as officers apprehended him. It was also reported the suspect had an odor of alcohol on his breath and showed clear signs of intoxication.
A physical back-and-forth struggle ensued between Mr. Hendricks and Officer Weddell, during which he pushed into the officer with force several times, the report said. After attempting to deescalate the situation verbally, Officer Weddell, with the help of Officer Morrow and tavern security, placed the suspect in handcuffs.
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