Man Sentenced for Violent Disturbance in Jail
BOSTON, March 14, 2022— BOSTON, March 14, 2022-- On Friday, a man currently incarcerated in connection with offenses stemming from an incident in which a Boston Police officer was shot was convicted last week for a violent altercation at the Suffolk County Jail, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
In a jury trial held in the Central Division of Boston Municipal Court, GRANT HEADLEY, 33, was found guilty of disturbing a correctional institution and vandalizing jail property. Judge Mark Hart Summerville sentenced Headley to 2 ½ years in the house of correction – the maximum term of incarceration that can be imposed in district and municipal courts. The sentence will be served after Headley completes his current eight- to 10-year sentence on firearm offenses.
Suffolk prosecutors presented evidence and testimony at trial to prove that, on July 16, 2018, Headley berated a Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department unit officer and refused to comply with orders to either return to his cell or continue his dinner inside the Suffolk County Jail, where he was held following his 2016 arrest. He responded to officers’ orders with threats and spitting.
Responding officers restrained him and escorted him from the unit. Headley broke away from the officers and kicked a door pane, shattering riot glass valued at approximately $2,000.
“Anyone who commits an act of violence – whether it is committed against a member of law enforcement or a civilian community member – will be held accountable for the harm they cause,” DA Hayden said. “When an individual is removed from the community for their offenses, the goal is always to ensure that they have access to the tools and opportunities that will leave them better positioned for success when they return to the community. Unfortunately, this individual continued to cause harm, and he will now remain incarcerated for an additional sentence as a result.”
At the time of the offenses committed inside the jail, Headley had been arrested and detained on charges connected to the nonfatal shooting of a Boston Police officer on January 8, 2016. A Suffolk Superior Court jury last year convicted him of carrying a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm as a third offense, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number and two counts of possession of a large capacity firearm or feeding device but acquitted him of charges connected to the shooting and drug offenses. Prosecutors sought an incarcerated sentence of 14 to 16 years in state prison; a judge imposed a term of eight to 10 years in state prison. His sentence on the new convictions will begin only once his current sentence is complete.
Assistant District Attorney Kevin Morgan and Special Assistant District Attorney Natalia Smychkovich prosecuted the case at trial.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.