Overview
- Police say the confrontation began over use of Lake Maspenock’s single boat ramp and escalated into a physical fight on Wednesday, June 3, that bystanders recorded.
- Video and police reports show 70-year-old Steven Dana allegedly slapping 21-year-old Matthew Duffy, dragging him into the water, and holding his head under for about 10 seconds before friends intervened.
- Dana was arrested and charged with attempted murder, two counts of strangulation or suffocation, and assault and battery on a disabled person.
- A Framingham judge found Dana not to be a danger to the public, set $7,500 cash bail, and released him with orders to stay away from Sandy Beach, have no contact with the victim or witnesses, and avoid weapons.
- The case highlights tensions over Hopkinton’s seasonal resident-only ramp rules and has drawn public concern over the judge’s dangerousness finding as prosecutors and defense prepare for a probable-cause hearing in July.