Overview
- A verbal dispute over jet-ski use at Sandy Beach escalated into a physical fight that was captured on video, police say, with the altercation occurring on Wednesday evening.
- Hopkinton police arrested 70-year-old Steven Dana at his home and charged him with attempted murder, two counts of strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery on a disabled person.
- Police reports and video reviewed by investigators say Dana straddled 21-year-old Matthew Duffy in the water and held his head below the surface for about 10 seconds before friends pulled Dana off.
- Duffy was using crutches and still recovering from a March motorcycle crash when the attack happened, a factor cited in the charge for assault on a disabled person.
- Dana posted $7,500 cash bail after a dangerousness hearing and was released under conditions that bar him from Sandy Beach, from contacting the victim or witnesses, and from possessing firearms, with a return court date set for July.