North Reading and Woburn Police Arrest Man for Alleged Sexual Assault and Witness Intimidation

NORTH READING — North Reading Police Chief Michael P. Murphy and Woburn Police Chief Robert J. Ferullo Jr. announce the arrest of a 23-year-old North Reading man for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in a vehicle.

On Wednesday morning, a Woburn Police Detective contacted one of his counterparts in North Reading to inform him that a victim had come forward, reporting a sexual assault that took place in a vehicle, between Woburn and North Reading.

Detectives interviewed the victim, whose name will not be released. The victim told police she had met MATTHEW DONOGHUE, AGE 23, OF NORTH READING, CURRENTLY RESIDING IN FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA on Facebook about 1.5 years ago and that he was currently in the United States Army, having recently returned from a deployment in Korea. The two communicated off-and-on, and on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, DONOGHUE reached out to the victim and asked to meet. The victim picked up DONOGHUE at the Alewife MBTA Station and drove him to an address in North Reading, where DONOGHUE’S mother lives.

An hour later, DONOGHUE called the victim again, and they drove around together before ending up at a park in Woburn. At one point, DONOGHUE allegedly began to choke the victim with his hands, to the point where the victim could not breathe. The two got back into the victim’s car, where DONOGHUE allegedly shut down the GPS system on the victim’s cell phone. DONOGHUE then allegedly sexually assaulted the victim, in the car, between Woburn and North Reading.

At about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, North Reading police found DONOGHUE riding in his mother’s car, with his mother driving. Police affected a traffic stop of the vehicle and placed DONOGHUE under arrest, charging him with indecent assault and battery and intimidation of a witness.

He was held without bail pending his arraignment Thursday in Woburn District Court.

Additional charges are pending from the Woburn Police Department.