Lynn man charged with assaulting pregnant woman released

LYNN – A man who allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman and kicked a 15-year-old dog after a dispute over a cell phone bill was released after a dangerousness hearing in Lynn District Court on Friday.Andrew R. Johnson, 23, of 22 Warren Street #7, was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a pregnant victim and animal cruelty on Monday at 5:50 a.m., according to court documents. At his arraignment Tuesday, Judge Ellen Flatley ordered Johnson held without bail pending the dangerousness hearing.Judge Albert Conlon set several conditions for Johnson’s release on Friday. These include that Johnson remain drug- and alcohol-free; abide by a restraining order previously granted to the alleged victim and her mother; and not go near the home where the alleged incident occurred.According to a report by Lynn Police Officer Rudy Ramirez, police responded on Monday morning to an Estes Street residence where a woman said she had confronted Johnson and her daughter about returning a cell phone.”[The complainants] reported that [Johnson] ? had ‘racked’ up their cell phone bill and that they did not want them using it anymore,” the report states. “[Johnson] became upset and yelled something to the affect of ‘[Expletive] I’m not paying you old man,'” the report notes.Then the dog – identified in the police report as a 15-year-old miniature pinscher named Max – began barking. The woman said Johnson kicked the dog in the face and it slid across the room, according to the report.Johnson then allegedly assaulted a 23-year-old pregnant woman at the home, according to the report. The report noted the victim told police that Johnson knew she was pregnant and the victim had marks on her face and neck where she had been struck. Police responding to unrelated call found Johnson and placed him under arrest shortly after the incident.The mother said outside the hearing Friday that the incident was the latest in a long family dispute. She and her pregnant daughter had been granted a restraining order against Johnson before his arraignment Tuesday, court records show. The mother said she had been granted a restraining order against a woman she identified as her daughter and Johnson’s girlfriend before the hearing on Friday.Attorney William J. Hernon, who is representing Johnson, declined to comment after the hearing.