Lynn Tech janitor arrested for domestic assault on wife

LYNN – The school custodian caught last month stealing thousands of dollars from a safe at Lynn Vocational Technical Institute was arrested Sunday for allegedly punching his wife in the chest several times as she drove through Marblehead and Swampscott.John Grocki, 45, of 33 Abbott St., Lynn, was arrested by Swampscott police and charged with domestic assault and battery shortly after midnight Sunday.Grocki was drinking with his wife at Red Rock in Swampscott then Maddy’s Sail Loft in Marblehead where Grocki “had been drinking excessively” before the assault, according to a police report.Grocki’s wife decided to drive home but she got lost in Marblehead, which upset Grocki, police said.The report says Grocki was sitting in the front passenger seat when he punched his wife in the chest numerous times.During the assault, the wife managed to call Lynn police, who told her to stop the vehicle and get out. At this point they were on Lynn Shore Drive in Swampscott on the Lynn line.A female Lynn officer was first to arrive on the scene. A police report described the victim as extremely visibly upset.Grocki was arrested and transported to the Swampscott police station, where officers say he got belligerent.Grocki apparently heard his wife’s voice while he was sitting in a booking area and slammed his forehead on a table. He then yelled expletives at his wife.Grocki was arrested Dec. 31 after school security set up surveillance cameras and allegedly caught him stealing approximately $3,000 from a safe at Lynn Tech. He was arrested that day at a Commercial Street liquor store where he allegedly spent $40 of the stolen money on scratch tickets and was found in possession of cocaine.It’s not clear if Grocki still works for the school department.