Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Worcester PD Officer William Stout

“According to a police report filed in Westborough District Court on Thursday, veteran Worcester police officer William Stout went to his ex-wife’s Shady Lane home on June 17 and began banging on the door, yelling to be let in while yelling profanities,” wcvb.com reports. “The report said his ex-wife would not let him and Stout forced a kitchen window screen in and climbed through the window.” I think you know where this one’s going. . .

According to (the ex-wife), her ex-husband was in his full Worcester Police Department uniform at the time he forced his way into her house and he did have his gun, which was holstered in his belt/waist area,” the report said.

Stout then went to a bedroom, where he attacked his ex-wife’s “companion” by “grabbing him by the neck and punching him several times, striking him in the face and neck area,” the report said.

Throughout the attack, Stout yelled “I will kill you,” over-and-over, and when the assault was over, Stout told the man he would “murder” him if the man was ever around Stout’s family again, the report said.

Northborough obtained a warrant for Stout’s arrest, and he turned himself in.

Here’s the punchline (so to speak):

After his arrest, Stout posted $500 bail and was released. He pleaded not guilty at his Westborough District Court arraignment on Thursday. He is due back in court on July 24 for a pretrial conference. As a condition of his release, Stout is not allowed to carry or possess a firearm.

Stout, who has been with the Worcester Police Department for 16 years, is currently on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal police investigation, Worcester Police spokesman Sgt. Kerry F. Hazelhurst said.

Strangely, the report doesn’t include a mug shot. Anyway, as TTAG tipster Pascal points out, “He was wearing his uniform, he broke into a house, he began to punch someone and telling them he will kill him, and posted bail and was released on $500 bail and is on administrative leave. How many of us would have been in jail? And what, no protective order?”

Yes, well, nothing can protect officer Stout from TTAG’s decision to award him our Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day award. We hope he takes the hardware to his anger management class as a reminder to at least remove his firearm from his person – and you know he’s going to get his gun and job back eventually – before going ballistic.