A Boston police officer arrested early Sunday morning on domestic violence charges is out on bail.
Roselyn LaCroix, who has been with the Boston Police Department since 2006, was taken into custody around 2:40 a.m. Sunday after he allegedly destroyed property and threatened to burn his house down with his wife inside, prosecutors said in court Monday.
Police responded to a home in Dorchester and were told by the victim that she had awakened to the sound of LaCroix breaking furniture, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said in a statement Monday. Officers said they saw two broken tables, broken windows and broken glass decorations in the dining room area of the house.
The victim told police that LaCroix had walked up the stairs, broken down the door of a bedroom, grabbed the victim by the face and told her, "I'm going to burn this house down with you in it."
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LaCroix was placed on paid administrative leave after her arrest, the department said. The department's domestic violence and anti-corruption units have opened an investigation into the matter.
"The Boston Police Department takes all allegations of domestic violence by employees seriously and will fully investigate in conjunction with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office,” Commissioner Michael Cox said in a statement.
"Anyone who commits a crime, regardless of their job or position, will be held accountable for their actions by our office. Public safety officials have an extra responsibility to act within the boundaries of the law," Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden added.
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LaCroix was arraigned Monday in Dorchester District Court on charges of assault and battery on a family or household member and threats, the district attorney's office said. Bail remained set at $500, which he had already posted, and he is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 25 for a pretrial hearing.
The alleged victim did not seek a stay-away order, and the judge did not impose one, but he imposed a no-abuse order against LaCroix. Prosecutors asked for alcohol screening as a bail condition, as the woman had told authorities he had a potential alcohol problem, but that was not imposed.
Prosecutors told the judge police had confiscated LaCroix's firearms. As the district attorney's office requested in court, those weapons will remain in the custody of the Boston Police Department, the judge said.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELP: Massachusetts provides this list of national, statewide and local resources for victims of domestic violence. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Anyone who is in immediate danger or knows someone who is is urged to call 911.
