Edgartown Shellfish Constable Paul Bagnall was arraigned before Judge Paul Pino Thursday in Edgartown District Court on a charge of property defacement. Through his attorney, Martin (“Skip”) Tomassian, he pleaded not guilty.
According to an Edgartown Police report and court records, Bagnall allegedly ruined portions of a neighbor’s lawn with a town-owned pickup truck. One of these incidents was allegedly caught on camera and reviewed by Edgartown Police Det. Curtis Chandler. Chandler also interviewed Bagnall.
Among other things, Bagnall allegedly told Det. Chandler he and his neighbor had “a long history of issues,” and Bagnall said in the past he challenged his neighbor at the zoning board of appeals over a guesthouse.
“Bagnall admitted that he did it,” Chandler wrote, “and stated, ‘I did that because I was pissed off, not to piss him off; nothing pisses him off.’”
Following a magistrate’s hearing, Edgartown District Court Clerk Magistrate Liza Williamson found probable cause Bagnall committed a crime and authorized the charge.
On Thursday, Bagnall was released on his personal recognizance.
Pino warned Bagnall that if he was charged with a new crime during the pendency of his case, he could be held without bail up to the time of a trial.
Bagnall is expected back in court for a pretrial hearing on March 5.
