Fall River Man Guilty of Domestic Assault and Stalking

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A Fall River man has been sentenced to state prison after he pleaded guilty on Tuesday to domestic assault and other charges for assaulting his girlfriend in 2022.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced that Damien Gouse, 46, pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to charges of stalking, domestic assault and battery and malicious damage to a motor vehicle.

He was sentenced to serve three and a half years in state prison followed by one year of supervised probation.

The Violent 2022 Assault

Fall River Police responded on January 10, 2022 to a report of a domestic assault and arrived to find the female victim had injuries to her face, bruising and swelling of her left eye, and a mark on her neck. She reported that Gouse, her boyfriend, had assaulted her multiple times that evening while they were in a car.

Gouse was driving and she was the passenger, when he punched her multiple times in the back of the head with a closed fist. When she got out of the car, he chased her and forcefully brought her back into the car, and took her phone and keys.

Gouse then continued to assault and threaten the victim in the vehicle. She then ran to a stranger’s vehicle asking for help, and got into their back seat. The driver brought her back to her home and the police were called. The victim was then taken to a local hospital for treatment.

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Repeated Threats and Harassment

In February 2022, Fall River Police were called for a report of damage to a motor vehicle. The victim reported that on February 4, 2022, Gouse contacted her and asked her to meet up with him. When she declined, he then called her over 75 times, threatening her and indicating he would cut the tires of her car. When she woke up on February 7, 2022, she found all four of her tires had been slashed.

Police were called again on February 9, 2022, when the victim’s neighbor reported that he saw Gouse slashing the victim’s tires, and that he also attempted to smash her front windshield with a rock.

DA Quinn’s Statement on the Case

"The defendant has a history of committing serious crimes. I am pleased that the defendant pled guilty and accepted responsibility for assaulting the victim and damaging her property without her having to testify,” D.A. Quinn said.