David Scondras sues Lawrence P.D. over 2006 teen sex arrest

On Oct. 9, 2006, former City Councilor David Scondras was arrested in a parking lot near Lawrence General Hospital for soliciting sex with a minor. Scondras, the first openly gay City Councilor in Boston, is now suing the Lawrence Police Department, alleging that he was severely beaten by police officers and then denied medical treatment.

According to Scondras' attorney Will Korman, "The fact remains that regardless of why Mr. Scondras was arrested -- quite frankly, regardless of why anyone is arrested -- the police officers have an obligation to act in a certain way and act in a certain manner."

Scondras was in the parking lot that night pursuing a meet-up with a person he'd met in an AOL chatroom, and believed to be fifteen years old. (The hospital security guard who had posed as the teenager was actually 20 years old, and working with the police department.)

The security guard and police officer allegedly approached Scondras, shining flashlights and aiming a gun at his head. "And then both of them started yelling at him, 'We'll teach you to come to Lawrence!'" Korman said. "At that point, Mr. Scondras, thinking he was about to be the subject of a gay bashing, tried to run away."

Scondras was tackled, pinned to the ground, and struck in the head with an unknown object, fracturing one of his teeth against the pavement. "The barrel of a gun was shoved against his head. He was called a 'fucking faggot.' At that point he was kicked in his legs," Korman said. "He was punched in the right side of his head and hit all over his body. He received a number of bruises and a large laceration to his head. And then subsequently he received no medical treatment either at the scene or back at the station."

Korman confirmed that upon his arrest, Scondras requested medical treatment and was denied.

"The booking photographs show a large amount of blood on his head. There's clear injuries on the booking photo. Whoever took that photograph, and the supervisionary officers involved clearly would have seen it."

According to Korman, Scondras subsequently received brain surgery to address a pre-existing condition that had been aggravated during the arrest.

Scondras has a history of involvement with the police department. He lost his City Councilor seat in 1993 after making obscene calls to the police while intoxicated and in 2007 pleaded guilty to enticing a minor in a movie theater. Scondras registered as a sex offender to avoid jail time and instead served 18 months parole.

Officers from the Lawrence Police Department have not yet returned calls for comment.