Dad charged with assault for beating two kids, making death threats against wife (Salem, Massachusetts)

Father XIANGE XU has been charged with assault and battery with a deadly weapon in the beatings of his two children. In this incident, the father allegedly used sticks, but he has apparently used brooms and coat hangers in the past.

While Dad was at the police station, he threatened to kill his wife while talking to her on the phone. So Dad has been charged for that too. Not surprisingly, Dad was already on pretrial probation for a domestic abuse incident from last December.

http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_195002719.html

Father, 33, accused of hitting kids with stick
By Julie Manganis
Staff writer
July 14, 2009 05:00 am—

SALEM — One of the owners of a downtown Salem restaurant has been charged with abusing two of his children by beating them with sticks.

Xiang Xu, 33, of 30 Leach St., Salem, is being held without bail pending his arraignment today in Salem District Court on seven counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault, and threats to commit a crime.

He was arrested after a representative of the Department of Children and Families contacted Salem police on Friday evening about reports of abuse.

Two of Xu's children, a 9-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, told investigators their father struck them with sticks because they were being too noisy, according to a police report.

The boy had five bruises on his arms and legs, the report said. The girl said she was hit on the legs but was wearing pants and did not get bruises.

The children's accounts were corroborated by their mother, who told investigators that Xu also uses brooms and coat hangers to hit the children.

Police seized two tree branches from the home.

During booking, Xu made a phone call to his wife, in which he allegedly told her that he was going to find her and kill her with a knife, mentioning her parents' home in Malden. Because of that call, police added a charge of threats to kill.

Prosecutor Caleb Weiner filed a motion seeking to have Xu, who was already on pretrial probation for a domestic abuse incident in December, held without bail.

Because no Chinese interpreter was available yesterday, Xu's arraignment and a hearing on the prosecutor's request was postponed until today.

Xu is listed in a state corporations database as one of the owners of Fresh Taste of Asia.