Mar 23, 2009 11:10 am US/Eastern
NY State Senator Indicted On Felony Assault Charge
Sen. Hiram Monserrate Of Queens Charged With Assaulting, Harassing Girlfriend
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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New York City Councilman Hiram Monserrate was indicted Monday morning on a felony assault charge.
New York City Council
New York state Sen. Hiram Monserrate was indicted Monday morning on a felony assault charge in Queens after allegedly attacking his girlfriend during an argument, CBS 2 has confirmed.
Monserrate, a former New York City councilman who was sworn into office as Senator in January despite the looming charge, will be arraigned later this week.
Monserrate was charged with assault and weapon possession after Karla Giraldo's face was slashed on Dec. 19 at his Queens home. Both Monserrate and Giraldo say the incident was an accident -- Monserrate told police that he tripped while holding a glass of water and that the glass accidentally hit her. The Queens district attorney's office said the case is pending.
But authorities say evidence, including surveillance videos, paints a more violent picture of a heated argument and a frightened, bleeding woman in distress. Investigators say Monserrate purposely smashed her face with broken glass in an apparent jealous rage.
The videos come from several cameras in the apartment building. The first shows the two arguing and Monserrate throwing a policeman's union card down a garbage chute, according to a law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.
The two return into the apartment, and the video catches them sometime later, Giraldo's face covered with a bloody towel. The official said it's believed Monserrate smashed the glass over furniture before hitting her with it. Investigators Monday seized similar glasses from his home.
Monserrate is seen yanking Giraldo by the shoulder down the second-floor stairwell. Giraldo is crying, and pounding on a neighbor's door as he pulls her away, the official said. She drops the towel, which is later found on a stairwell. The two are then shown downstairs in a small vestibule, where Monserrate tries to pull Giraldo outside.
"She's holding on with two hands, like a kid who didn't want to leave his bike. She looks terrified," the official said.
Giraldo went to the emergency room; the gash over her eye required 25 stitches. Doctors contacted Queens police and reported a woman was assaulted, the official said. According to the police report, Giraldo initially said she was assaulted, then changed her account after learning officers planned to arrest him. She later filed a statement with the 105th Precinct saying she did not wish to press charges.
Monserrate has declined to discuss the allegations.
Monserrate, a council member since 2001, was elected to the Senate in November. If convicted of felony second-degree assault, he could face seven years in prison and the loss of his seat.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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