A 58-year-old Boston firefighter pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges he beat a man inside a Hyde Park social club Tuesday night before the victim suffered a heart attack, the latest member of the reeling Boston Fire Department to find trouble.
Paul Nemes was formally charged with aggravated assault and battery for an incident that left the 62-year-old victim in critical condition.
According to prosecutors, Nemes and the victim became embroiled in a verbal spat at the Polish American Club on River Street. At some point it turned physical, and as the victim attempted to leave the bar he suffered the heart attack.
Reports said that Nemes’ defense team indicated that too much time passed between the fight and the heart attack to link the two.
The arrest comes days after a BFD veteran was nabbed on a drunken driving charge and amid a year that has seen its share of indiscretions from the department.
Deputy Fire Chief Peter Pearson is facing charges he raped multiple women at gunpoint in Brockton. Firefighter Anthony Gaston was dismissed in August, months after he was caught smoking marijuana in a department vehicle, and firefighter Albert Arroyo caused an uproar earlier this summer when he was caught taking part in a bodybuilding competition while out on a permanent disability claim.