Locked in the Trunk

A former Aquinnah man was arrested in Fall River last Tuesday for allegedly locking his two young sons in the trunk of his car while he went inside a local store. Michael B. Monahan, 35, was arraigned in Fall River Court on Wednesday on charges of domestic assault and wanton reckless endangerment of a child.

Mr. Monahan previously lived in Aquinnah, although he has since moved. Fall River police said an eyewitness saw Mr. Monahan changing the clothes of his two small children while they were sitting in the open trunk of his 1998 Pontiac Grand Am.

The witness approached Mr. Monahan after he entered the store, and after an exchange, the store owner called the police.

Mr. Monahan fled the scene but later turned himself in.

Fall River police initially thought Mr. Monahan may have taken the two young boys back to the Island, and contacted Aquinnah police and the Massachusetts state police for assistance.

Aquinnah Sgt. Paul Manning said an officer went to Mr. Monahan’s last known address and learned he had moved off-Island some time ago.