Mass. Judge Charged With Domestic Assault

A Worcester County Superior Court judge has been charged with assault and battery in a domestic incident, prosecutors say.

Shannon Frison, 49, of Hudson, was arraigned in Marlborough District Court on Monday, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex district attorney's office said in a statement.

Judge Michael Fabbri released Frison on personal recognizance, and she was ordered not to have any contact with the victim or possess dangerous weapons.  The state court system placed her on administrative leave.

Prosecutors say Hudson police on Sunday at about 7:30 p.m. responded to a call for an argument between two women on Chestnut Street and Brook Street. Officers saw the victim walking in the road and learned that the defendant "had allegedly assaulted the victim and driven off in her motor vehicle," according to the statement.

Frison's wife told police that Frison grabbed the back of her hair "and with a strong amount of force" ripped her head back. Frison's lawyer, William Kettlewell, in a statement to The Boston Globe says his client denies the charge and "hopes for a speedy resolution in court."

Frison's next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 10.

Frison was nominated to the Superior Court bench by former Gov. Deval Patrick in 2012, after previously serving as an associate justice of the Boston Municipal Court. According to a statement announcing her nomination, Frison previously served as an officer and lawyer in the U.S. Marine Corps.

With reporting from WBUR's Newscast Unit and The Associated Press