Couple accuse Somerville police of abuse

A Nashua, N.H., lesbian couple claims they were assaulted and sexually harassed by Somerville police last April after their car broke down. Both of the women, Catherine Courtemanche and Rebecca Knobel, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, and Knobel was also charged with resisting arrest. The couple held a pair of concerts at Somerville's SkyBar July 9 and 10 to raise money for a defense fund and for a potential civil suit against Somerville police. Yet Somerville police spokesman Captain Paul Upton said the police were dispatched to the scene last April after local residents called and reported that Knobel was trying to force herself into the car with Courtemanche. He said both of the women refused to cooperate with police when they arrived on scene, and Knobel turned violent. The couple is scheduled to go to Somerville District Court for a hearing on the charges Aug. 14.

The couple and the police offer vastly different accounts of what happened around 4 a.m. on April 18. Knobel told Bay Windows that she and Courtemanche had come to Somerville to attend a goth club, and after the leaving the club they were driving down Somerville Avenue when their car broke down. Knobel said that she got out to look under the hood and try to fix the problem while Courtemanche stayed behind the wheel. She said she believes a person who lived nearby called the police thinking that they were trying to steal the car.

Knobel, who admits that she was drunk, claims that while she was trying to fix the car, which had gotten stuck in park, two police cruisers arrived. She said she tried to explain to the officers that the car belonged to her and that the registration in the glove compartment matched her license, but she claims they did not listen to her.

"They dragged [Courtemanche] out of the car and slammed the hood down on me," said Knobel. She claims that she and the police shouted at each other for several minutes, and then they pepper sprayed her and began beating her when she fell to the ground. She also claims the officers made comments about Courtmanche's "skinny ass" while they were cuffing her. Police initially mistook Knobel for a male, but she said they did not make any anti-gay remarks.

Yet Upton said multiple local residents who called the police reported that Knobel, who the residents assumed was a male, was trying to force her way into the car with Courtemanche and that the couple were arguing. He said police place a high priority on responding to that type of call because it could be an instance of domestic violence, attempted kidnapping, or someone trying to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.

According to the police report of the incident three officers arrived on the scene and found Knobel outside the car and Courtemanche trying to drive away. An officer pulled Courtemanche from the vehicle, and both women began cursing at the officers. Knobel, according to the report, repeatedly yelled, "Suck my dick, bitch," "Fuck you cop pigs," and "Go fuck yourselves," and she flailed her arms when the officers tried to restrain her. The report said she became increasingly violent when they struggled to cuff her, and they pepper sprayed her to subdue her.

Upton said when police brought Knobel and Courtemanche in to the station to book them, Knobel continued to shout obscenities and fight back against the officers. He said the police decided not to photograph or fingerprint her because she was being violent enough to jeopardize their safety. Upton said he watched video footage of the booking and saw her violent behavior firsthand. He declined to provide the video to Bay Windows, saying that by law it is not a public record and the department is forbidden from making it public. But if the case goes to trial he said he expects the video will be shown in open court as evidence.

"During the entire process that I saw [Knobel] was very abusive, very belligerent, and the booking process was laced with obscenities that were coming from her and no one else," said Upton. He said neither Knobel nor Courtemanche filed a complaint against the officers who arrested them. Knobel told Bay Windows they are currently drafting their complaint.

Knobel told Bay Windows she was not being violent and that police did not photograph her because it would show evidence of the injuries she sustained during the arrest. She also said that the neighbors heard she and Courtemanche shouting over the sound of the engine while fixing the car and mistook it for an argument. Her attorney, William Logan of Medford, said Knobel did not go to the hospital to treat her injuries. He said Knobel has photos showing the bruises from the altercation, but he declined to release them, saying they may be used at trial.

To try to raise money to pay for their attorney, as well as for a possible civil suit against the police, the couple organized a pair of benefit concerts on their behalf at SkyBar in Somerville. Both nights were goth-themed events, with a trio of live bands playing July 9 and a DJ playing dance music July 10. Knobel said that the fundraisers only brought in a combined $80 because one of the bands demanded payment for the show and other costs ran higher than expected.