by Tiffany L. Hill

Overturning an earlier decision, a visiting magistrate at the Somerville District Court found enough evidence May 26 to send the president of Mystic View Task Force to trial over a December incident outside an aldermanic meeting.

William Shelton, the president of the Mystic View Task Force, is accused of assaulting Joan M. Guarino, a city resident who is active in Ward 1 politics, outside of an aldermanic meeting about Assembly Square December 23.

Guarino, who said Shelton grabbed her arm, spun her around and yelled at her, filed a report of assault against him in January.

Guarino said that an employee of Gravestar, whom she had been speaking with at the time, supports her version of events. Gravestar is the developer whose plan for developing Assembly Square is opposed by the Mystic View Task Force.

After a magistrate dismissed Guarino’s accusations, she filed a request for a re-determination hearing.

Her request was granted April 21.

At the May 26 re-determination hearing, Judge Joseph W. Jennings III ruled that there was enough evidence to go to trial. The district attorney will file criminal charges of assault and battery against Shelton, who said he has hired an attorney. Guarino has been told that she will be notified of developments in the case by letter.

Shelton said his lawyer has advised him not to discuss any details of the event, but that he is optimistic about the outcome of the suit.

“I believe the evidence will show this charge to be baseless,” Shelton said. “I will do everything that the law requires.”

Guarino said she does not know what she could have said to cause the incident. She said that Shelton called her stupid and told her to keep her opinions about Assembly Square to herself.

Guarino said that she thinks Shelton is intelligent and admirable. “When you respect someone and you get shocked like this, it’s traumatizing,” she said.

Guarino said she considers the Mystic View Task Force members to be very nice, well-educated, and well-respected in the community. Even so, she said she could not ignore what happened.

“I can’t comprehend that he’d take a difference of opinion so far. I wasn’t raised around that sort of behavior. I thought I had the right to voice my opinion. I won’t let this lay. I have people who won’t talk at meetings anymore. Is that fair?”

Guarino said she has recently received strange phone calls, seen people taking pictures of her house, and had to deal with other strange occurrences. “Five generations of my family have lived in this house, and this hasn’t been a problem before.”