School Official Faces Serious Charges Following Parking Fracus

By Seth Daniel

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A former School Committee member and current School Department employee has been charged with several major offenses by Revere Police following a fight over a parking spot.

Now, School Superintendent Paul Dakin said he wants to have a serious talk with the employee this week.

Michael Ciarlone, a former elected official in Revere who is now the district’s Director of Facilities, was apparently driving his School-issued vehicle to a home on Bradstreet Avenue in Beachmont last Friday night when the melee unfolded.

The School Department truck is equipped with a snowplow, which was the genesis of the entire problem.

Four officers reported to the scene around 11:30 p.m. and found a large and chaotic crowd standing around two men, according to a police report.

One man who lives on Bradstreet Avenue was holding Ciarlone down on the ground while waiting for police to arrive.

That man’s brother, also of Bradstreet Avenue, was lying on the ground next to the plow truck and appeared to be injured.

Those two men and their friend – as well as several witnesses – told officers that they had been in their apartment when they heard a commotion outside.

The men observed Ciarlone’s plow truck allegedly pushing snow and ice onto their car, their sidewalk and their front steps. They told police that he continued to plow snow up into their driveway unnecessarily so they went outside to see what was going on.

Ciarlone immediately allegedly yelled at them, “You parked in my spot.”

He continued on a rant and other neighbors watching the situation allegedly asked him to stop acting crazy.

When he wouldn’t one of the Bradstreet Avenue men began exchanging words with Ciarlone, who was still in the city-owned plow truck.

After having words with the man, Ciarlone backed up the truck and allegedly ran over the man, sending him to the ground.

He allegedly got out of the truck and punched the friend, who had tried to intervene for the victim on the ground.

As the jam began to get pretty serious, the victim’s brother jumped on top of Ciarlone and held him down, asking witnesses to call police – which they did.

The injured victim was sent to the hospital by ambulance complaining of hip, back and shoulder injuries.

Ciarlone apparently had a head injury that needed medical attention. When police asked him what had happened, he allegedly told them in  “Nothing happened.”

He also indicated that he didn’t know what happened to his head, and that it didn’t hurt. However, police felt it serious enough that they sent him to the hospital instead of performing a field sobriety test.

They did, however, subpoena his blood for testing.

He was also found to be driving on an expired license.

Police did not arrest Ciarlone, but charges have been filed in Chelsea District Court against him.

He faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon with serious bodily injury (motor vehicle), assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (shod foot), assault and battery, operating with an expired license, operating to endanger and malicious destruction of property over $250.

He also potentially faces charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol depending on the results of the blood test.

Ciarlone has had a few run-ins before within the School Department and has faced progressive discipline over the years for those actions.

Many have indicated that he was on a short leash within the schools.

Reached on Tuesday, Dakin said he had asked Ciarlone to report to his office.

“He called in sick today (Tuesday),” said Dakin. “I’ve called him back and told him I want to see him in my office.”

The city-owned plow truck was impounded by Revere Police and driven back to the station for an investigation.

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