Homeless man pleads not guilty to charges after alleged assault

Michael J. Degrandis, 46, homeless, of Waltham, pleaded not guilty on May 18 to charges of assault and battery, breaking and entering for misdemeanor and trespassing.

The charges stem from an incident three days earlier. 

The police report detailed the incident: 

On May 15 at 7:03 a.m., police responded to the Hyatt House Hotel on Fourth Avenue for a wellness check. The caller had spoken with a woman at the hotel via FaceTime who said Degrandis was “threatening her for asking other people for money and ‘using guys.’” The caller also said the woman had bruises on her face.

Police were not able to meet with the woman in person but made contact over the phone. She told police Degrandis had punched her in the face multiple times and knocked her front teeth out. The woman directed police to Degrandis’ approximate location within the ReNew Waltham apartment complex. A tenant at the complex told police Degrandis had been staying in vacant units on the property.

Police located Degrandis lying on the floor in a vacant unit in the complex. Degrandis told police he and the woman had gotten into an argument but nothing physical had happened. He said the woman’s ex-boyfriend knocked her teeth out. Police spoke to the ex-boyfriend, who denied those claims.

Police arrested Degrandis and learned he also had a warrant for a larceny out of Dedham. 

Degrandis began to fall asleep standing up while being booked at the police station. When asked, he said he believed the woman he was with had drugged him. He was taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for treatment.

It is unclear from MassCourt entries whether Degrandis remains in custody or out on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to the charges. A pretrial hearing for his case is set for July 6.

Additional court activity

David Keefe, 57, of Newton, pleaded not guilty on May 13 to a charge of open and gross lewdness. MassCourts has not been updated with Keefe’s conditions of release. A pretrial hearing for Keefe’s case will take place June 24.

Michael J. Hurley, 37, of Waltham, pleaded not guilty on May 18 to a charge of violating an abuse prevention order. The alleged incident took place in the parking lot of 85 River St. on May 17. Judge Sarah Kennedy released Hurley on personal recognizance. A pretrial hearing for the case will be held June 9.

All information for this story was gathered from official court documents found at the Waltham District Court and case information from masscourts.org.