Published: 09/05/2007
Undertoad's new owner charged in assault
By Dan Atkinson
Staff Writer
SALISBURY - The new owner of the Undertoad, the journal of Newburyport politics, was arrested yesterday in Salisbury on charges of assaulting a woman and spitting at a bystander and snatching her purse, police said.
Steven Nichols Jr. is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing today.
Police responded to the Dunkin Donuts on Main Street about 12:20 p.m. yesterday after reports of a fight in progress. According to police reports, Nichols, 47, hit a woman in the store and then spit on a second woman before grabbing her pocketbook and fleeing the area. Police said they pulled Nichols over at Toll Road and Route 286 and found the pocketbook in his car.
He was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, witness intimidation, unarmed robbery, threat to commit a crime, domestic assault and battery, disorderly conduct, assault and battery, and larceny from a person.
Nichols, of 110 Elm St., is a former arborist who bought the Undertoad from founder Tom Ryan two weeks ago. In an interview with The Daily News at the time of the purchase, he said he planned to expand the Undertoad's reach to neighboring communities and possibly expand its publishing schedule from biweekly to weekly.
"We are looking to be a hard-hitting newspaper with 100 percent credibility," Nichols said.
Published: 09/06/2007
Publisher released from jail By Dan Atkinson
Staff Writer
NEWBURYPORT - The incoming publisher of the Newburyport political journal The Undertoad was released on his own recognizance yesterday after being charged with several assault charges and unarmed robbery.
He was held overnight Tuesday by police after being arrested earlier in the day. He also had a dangerousness hearing yesterday.
Steven Nichols Jr., 47, of Salisbury said he was looking forward to answering the charges at a jury trial. He will have a pretrial hearing on Oct. 5.
"I'm going for a trial," he said. "I'm not taking anything less, not even probation."
Nichols was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, intimidating a witness, unarmed robbery, domestic assault and battery, disorderly conduct, assault and battery and larceny from a person.
According to statements given to police, Nichols told a woman not to talk with her 19-year-old stepdaughter, whom he'd been seeing for a week, after the three of them met in the Dunkin Donuts parking lot on Main Street. Nichols then ripped the woman's sunglasses off her face and threatened to snap her neck and permanently put her in a wheelchair, according to the statements.
The report said Nichols then grabbed the daughter's pocketbook away from her after she took it out of his truck, and drove away. Police arrested him on Route 286.
Nichols bought The Undertoad from former publisher Tom Ryan last month. Police also issued a summons for Nichols yesterday afternoon for larceny under $250. The charge stems from a meal Nichols allegedly ate on Aug. 26 at the Hungry Traveler restraurant and didn't pay for, according to police.
Posted by: DeputyFife
Published: 09/21/2007
Undertoad owner jailed for bail violation By Dan Atkinson Staff Writer
NEWBURYPORT - The new owner of the Undertoad is back in jail for a bail violation and is facing new charges of violating a restraining order.
Hampton resident Steven Nichols Jr., who purchased the Newburyport political journal from Tom Ryan last month, was released on bail after being charged with assault and battery earlier in the month. But he was brought back to court yesterday after police charged him with violating a restraining order, which violated conditions of his bail. Nichols was sent back to Middleton jail to await a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 1.
Yesterday's hearing covered two cases - charges that Nichols assaulted two women on Sept. 5, and a charge that he violated a restraining order against him obtained by another woman, Salisbury resident Rachel David.
Assistant District Attorney Michelle Belmonte argued that Nichols had a friend to deliver a fake court summons to David, thus making "impermissible" contact with her. Belmonte also said Nichols came within 150 feet of David's residence while dropping off his friend, a charge Nichols disputed.
Nichols acted as his own attorney during the hearing, saying he waived his right to a lawyer because he wanted to get the hearing out of the way. Handcuffed and legs shackled, Nichols repeatedly tried to question David's credibility when she was on the witness stand. Judge Michael Uhlarik repeatedly told Nichols to move his questioning along and stop requesting documents during cross-examination, and had to stop both Nichols and David from speaking extemporaneously.
David has had a restraining order against Nichols since January. David went to court on Monday to get the order expanded to prevent Nichols from going near two local schools that her children attend.
David said Nichols has harassed her family in the past and her children are worried he will attack her father. "The kids are afraid he'll break into Grampy's house and kill Grampy," David said. On Tuesday, David said, a friend of Nichols' came to her house and gave her a summons to appear in court yesterday. David and Nichols were already scheduled to appear in court for a hearing about expanding the restraining order. David said she became "really upset" after realizing the woman was there on behalf of Nichols and yelled at her to leave. David said she saw the woman, Salisbury resident Janet Mason, get into Nichols' red Ford pickup, and that she believed Nichols drove Mason to and from the house.
When she was called to the witness stand, Mason said that Nichols did drive her close to David's house, but said he stayed back from the building. Mason said, though, that Nichols asked her to do him a favor by giving the bogus summons to David. Mason said she was not a reserve police officer, notary public, or any other person qualified to deliver a summons.
In his closing statement, Nichols asked not to be judged on his criminal conviction sheet, which lists over 30 charges dating back to the late 1970s. Among the convictions are assault and battery, assault and battery on a police officer, stalking, intimidation, operating under the influence of alcohol, operating after his license was revoked, and several other charges. He has been incarcerated several times.
"I am a person of character," Nichols told Uhlarik. "My record does not belie the true me."
Uhlarik sentenced Nichols to a maximum of 60 days in jail for violating the conditions of his bail, and ordered $1,000 bail for the separate charge of violating the restraining order. Nichols said he would be unable to pay the bail, as he is $150,000 to $175,000 in debt. Uhlarik also extended the restraining order to include the two schools attended by David's children.
Nichols will return to court on Oct. 1 for a pre-trial hearing.
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