Barrington Man Found Guilty of Simple Assault and Disorderly Conduct Against Neighbor

 

Sentencing hearing on hate crime enhancement scheduled for February 9, 2021

 

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Barrington man was found guilty in 6th Division District Court on misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges, stemming from a fight with his next-door neighbor in Barrington on August 3, 2020.

 

At today’s hearing before District Court Judge Stephen M. Isherwood, the court found Richard Gordon, age 71, guilty of one count each of simple assault and disorderly conduct.

 

The State filed a sentencing enhancement in this case, pursuant to Rhode Island’s Hate Crimes Sentencing Act, on August 11, 2020. In Rhode Island, there is no free-standing hate crime; rather, a defendant must first be convicted of a criminal offense.  

 

If a defendant is convicted of a criminal offense, there is a separate sentencing hearing at which the State must prove that the criminal offense was motivated by “the actor's hatred or animus toward the actual or perceived disability, religion, color, race, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, or gender of that person.”  If the court determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the criminal offense was so motivated, the penalty for the criminal offense can be increased pursuant to the Rhode Island Hate Crimes Sentencing Act.

 

A sentencing enhancement hearing has been scheduled for February 9, 2021 in 6th Division District Court.

 

At trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that on August 3, 2020, Gordon assaulted his next-door neighbor once the neighbor replaced a surveyor’s stake in Gordon’s front yard.  

 

On that day, Gordon exited his house to confront his neighbor. The victim was standing in the street, which divides the two properties. During the argument, Gordon yelled racial slurs at his neighbor. He then escalated the encounter into a physical assault with his neighbor, Bahram Pahlavi.

 

A portion of the incident was captured on cell phone video and was widely circulated on social media platforms following the incident.

 

Lieutenant Josh Birrell of the Barrington Police Department led the investigation into the case. Assistant Attorney General John Moreira and Special Assistant Attorney General Keith Hoffmann prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General.

 

 

Crews are now focusing on recovery operations in central Texas following last week's historic flooding. At least 120 people are dead and over 170 are still missing. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will be in the state tomorrow to tour the flood damage.        President Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship is being stopped for now by a federal judge. The judge also granted class-action status in the case after the Supreme Court limited the ability of judges to block orders nationwide through other means. The order has been stayed for seven days by the judge to allow the government time to appeal.        Senate Majority Leader John Thune is discussing Senate races with President Trump. According to The Hill, the two met and broadly discussed races including Texas Senator John Cornyn's primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton and Cornyn are both Trump allies, however the president has not endorsed either in the primary.        Tesla is getting ready to expand its robotaxi service beyond Austin, Texas. CEO Elon Musk shared news of the expansion on 'X,' and noted that the company is awaiting regulatory approval for a launch in the Bay Area "probably in a month or two." In addition to the expansion, Tesla will integrate xAI's Grok into vehicles as it rolled out a new iteration of the artificial intelligence chatbot.        Jury selection is underway in the murder trial of a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning and killing his wife. James Craig was arrested in Aurora after his wife Angela died in 2023 after multiple hospital trips. Investigators say a combination of cyanide and tetrahydrozoline led to her death.        One of rock's most legendary stars will hit the road this fall. Paul McCartney announced he'll continue his Got Back Tour starting September 29th in Palm Desert, California. Macca will visit 16 cities across North America including Las Vegas, Denver, Minneapolis and Atlanta before wrapping up November 25th in Chicago.