A Quincy construction executive pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he shoved a 69-year-old woman to the ground during an immigration protest on Nantucket this past summer, a case that has drawn attention to both his prominent construction company and the rare outbreak of violence at an island demonstration. Lee M. Kennedy, 62, CEO of Lee Kennedy Co., entered his plea in Nantucket District Court to a felony charge of assault and battery on a person over 60 and a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge.
The arraignment, originally postponed from September 8, had been delayed while Kennedy’s defense team pushed for a pre-trial diversion that would have dismissed the charges before he ever had to enter a plea, according to Boston.com. The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office rejected that request, and defense attorney James Merberg told the court Thursday that a potential resolution could be presented at a pretrial hearing scheduled for November 17, according to The Inquirer and Mirror. Judge John M. Julian, who presided over the arraignment, set that November date and ordered Kennedy to stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim while the case remains pending, per Nantucket Current.
What Happened During the July Vigil
The alleged victim has been identified as Laura Anderson, a 69-year-old woman who has lived on Nantucket for 46 years. She told police she was pushed into a pile of bricks on the sidewalk across from the Nantucket Yacht Club during the July 25 vigil, sustaining bruises and lingering psychological anxiety from the encounter, the Inquirer and Mirror’s report notes. According to the police report cited by Boston.com, Anderson needed help getting back up after falling and was medically evaluated at Nantucket Cottage Hospital the following day.
Police reports and witness accounts state that Kennedy forced his way through the crowd along South Water and South Beach streets, shouting “you people are crazy” before pushing Anderson to the ground, the same outlet’s coverage from July reported. Boston.com’s review of the police report also states that Kennedy admitted to officers that he pushed someone to the ground while walking through the crowd. South Beach Street was described in the report as busy with heavy pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicle traffic at the time…