Waltham man charged with assault after incident on the Common

An incident on the Waltham Common resulted in an assault charge for a Waltham man this week.

On Aug. 21 at 12:45 p.m., officers responded to the Waltham Community Day Center to speak with a person about an assault that occurred the previous day. According to the police report, the person was sleeping at the gazebo on Waltham Common when they were awakened by an older man touching their genitals. Police said video footage confirmed this encounter. After talking with several people on the Common, police identified Robert J. O’Connor, 68, of Waltham, as a suspect. 

Police were able to speak to O’Connor, who told officers he was checking to see if the person was okay by putting a hand on them. O’Connor was ultimately arrested. While being booked, police discovered he is an unclassified sex offender in Florida. O’Connor pleaded not guilty on Aug. 24 to one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over and one count of lewd, wanton and lascivious conduct. O’Connor was released on personal recognizance by Judge Ellen M. Caulo and will face a pretrial hearing on Oct. 13.

Additional court activity

Roberto Figueroa Berrios, 32, of Ludlow, had charges against him dismissed on Aug. 19. Figueroa Berrios was charged in May with intimidating a witness, juror or police or court official. The charges were dismissed through a nolle prosequi motion, meaning the state decided not to pursue them. A nolle prosequi motion allows the state to refile the charges within the statute of limitations of the crime.

Mario Lopez, 35, of Waltham, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 20 to two charges of assault and battery stemming from an incident at a Waltham residence. Lopez was released on personal recognizance by Judge Amanda Ward and will face a pretrial hearing on Oct. 15.

Julio Cesar Sanchez-Garcia, 33, of Waltham, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 24 to one charge of operating under the influence of liquor, second offense, and one charge of a marked lanes violation. The charges stem from an incident on Moody Street. Sanchez-Garcia was released on personal recognizance by Caulo and will face a pretrial hearing on Sept. 24.

Chao P. Yang, 66, of Wellesley, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 24 to one count of operating under the influence of liquor and one count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle. The charges are in relation to an incident on Third Avenue. Yang was released on personal recognizance by Caulo and will face a hearing to review status on Oct. 6.

Michael R. Gray, of Waltham, had a case against him dismissed on Aug. 25 due to lack of prosecution. He was charged in July with possession of a class A drug. Gray’s case was dismissed due to lack of prosecution, meaning the Commonwealth was not equipped to prosecute the case and decided to dismiss it.

Zipporah D. Hebron, 23, of Middleboro, pleaded not guilty on Aug. 25 to a charge of assault and battery on a family or household member. The charge stems from an incident in Hannaford’s Supermarket parking lot. Hebron was released on personal recognizance by Caulo and will have a hearing to review status on Aug. 28.

Alejandro Lugo, 38, of Waltham, had a case against him dismissed on Aug. 28 due to lack of prosecution. He was charged in June with assault and battery on a family or household member. Lugo’s case was dismissed due to lack of prosecution, meaning the Commonwealth was not equipped to prosecute the case and decided to dismiss it.