Lynn man charged with assault, strangulation

LYNN – A judge ordered a homeless city man held on prior cases and set $3,500 cash bail for a new case in which a woman said “play fighting” with the defendant escalated to her being strangled.”If this were just play fighting as the defendant was suggesting, (the alleged victim) wouldn’t have injuries as described,” Essex Assistant District Attorney Aimee Conway said Wednesday in Lynn District Court.Nathanael Koplien, homeless, pleaded not guilty to assault and battery on a household/family member; at his arraignment Oct. 1. He was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Wednesday, according to court documents.The Commonwealth subsequently added a charge of strangulation/suffocation, to which Koplien pleaded not guilty on the day of his hearing.Police reported responding to a Wardwell Avenue apartment and meeting ambulance workers and the alleged victim. The alleged victim said she, her ex-boyfriend Koplien and two friends were walking on the footbridge between Heritage State Park and North Shore Community College when she and Koplien began “play fighting,” Lynn Police Officer Andrew Beaver wrote in a report.”It suddenly became more serious as Koplien punched (the alleged victim) in the right shoulder very forcefully and then grabbed her from behind, putting her in a chokehold,” Beaver reported.The alleged victim said she was struggling to breathe and felt as though she was losing consciousness, according to police. One of the witnesses allegedly intervened and said Koplien fled to the park. The rest of the group took a taxi back to the apartment and called an ambulance.”Her neck was all messed up, I can’t explain it,” the witness testified Wednesday at the dangerousness hearing.Conway requested Koplien be held without bail pending trial. She said the alleged victim also said Koplien punched her in the face and the witness told the same story about the incident, as police had noted. Conway also noted the hospital reported bruising on the alleged victim’s face and strained muscles in her neck. Conway further requested that Koplien’s bail in two of his four open cases be revoked.Defense Attorney James O’Shea, however, argued the alleged victim was angry Koplien had rejected her.O’Shea said police “went out of their way” to note in the incident report that the alleged victim had no visible injuries when they responded. Furthermore, O’Shea recounted how Koplien’s grandmother had testified the defendant – although having a “stealing problem” – shied away from violence, even suffering beatings rather than fight back in past incidents.O’Shea also said the witness had been rubbing the alleged victim’s back in court and testified he “considered her a sister,” while admitting he knew Koplien primarily from getting together to smoke marijuana.O’Shea asked bail not be revoked on the open cases and that a small cash bail be ordered on the new charges so the defendant could address his issues with petty theft and larceny.”He’s not without problems, your honor, but that doesn’t mean he should be held without bail,” O’Shea said.Judge Cathleen Campbell said she found the defendant to be a danger to the alleged victim. But Campbell noted that there was no history of violence between the defendant and alleged victim and ordered $3,500 cash bail, no drug or alcohol use, and that Koplien abide by a restraining order in effect as conditions of release on the new case.Campbell revoked Koplien’s bail in two of his open cases, however, noting the current charges were the eighth case Koplien had picked up since June 2013.Koplien is scheduled to return to court Oct. 16.