Man charged with hitting pregnant girlfriend

LACONIA — A Union Avenue man was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail Thursday after allegedly beating his five-months pregnant girlfriend.

Police filed court papers alleging that around 11 p.m. Wednesday, Officer Kevin Shortt responded to a complaint from a neighbor to 178 Union Avenue, who reported hearing a fight between a male and female. She told police she heard a woman say, "get off me, just get off me" and then heard a loud thump.

Shortt and a second officer responded to the address and knocked on the door. Nathan Scaringi, 25, of that address answered the door and told police he had just had an argument with one of his male friends who had already left the apartment.

When Shortt asked him where his girlfriend was, Scaringi allegedly told him that she had gone to visit her mother at another local address.

He said Scaringi had three scratches on his neck and there was broken glass all over the floor.

Shortt said they told him they wanted to look around the apartment to make sure his girlfriend wasn't there and hurt.

When Scaringi asked Shortt to produce a warrant, Shortt told him due to the severity of the call he didn't need one and, after a brief search, found the victim hiding in a closet.

When she showed Shortt her face, he said there was bruising and swelling on her right cheek, a scrape on her chin and her right cheek was red and bruised.

She told Short that Scaringi had slapped her across the face.

Scaringi was arrested and charged with one count of simple assault. He was held overnight and Judge Jay C. Boynton ordered him held on $5,000 cash bail.

City Prosecutor James Sawyer said yesterday he expects Scaringi to be charged with four more separate counts of assault.