Fiancee Attacked Before Marriage

This is the strange case of  former Alderman Keith Maynard, 42, who had represented the 4th ward of Ansonia, Conn. He is accused of breaking into his then fiancee's home and assaulting her, four days before the marriage. He resigned from his position on the Ansonia Board of Alderman on the eve of his arrest.

Maynard is accused of knocking Ida Lucarelli to the ground, covering her with a blanket and hitting her with a baseball bat, police said. She did not recognize her attacker, she told police. He was wearing a mask. See a copy of the affidavit here.

Alderman Keith Maynard was arraigned on charges of second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and first-degree reckless endangerment. The judge ordered Maynard to stay away from his Cook Street home. He was also ordered to turn over any firearms he may have. He posted a $50,000 bond on Aug. 20th and was released. He is due back in court on Sept. 4th.

"I've worked with Keith Maynard for many years, while he was on the board, in matters of importance to neighborhoods, both in his ward and throughout the city. and that's why this is a sad day," Police Chief Kevin Hale told the Register. "Nevertheless, we went where the facts took us.

"Domestic violence is a top priority for this police department. We take these matters very seriously," he added.

According to police spokesman Lt. Andrew Cota, the arrest stems from an incident July 1 on Cook Street involving Maynard's fiancee, Ida Lucarelli. On that date, his fiancee reported to police that around 11:15 a.m., she had come home to find a man in her house. She claimed the man threw a blanket over her head, hit her with a bat and ran out the back door. She did not recognize the intruder who wore a mask during the attack, police said. She was treated at Griffin Hospital for minor abrasions.

Police used witness statements and cell phone records -- which showed Keith Maynard was in the Valley around the time of the attack instead of in Westport, like he claimed -- to identify Maynard as a suspect in the attack.

The phone records also showed that after Ida Maynard called Keith Maynard to tell him she had been assaulted, Maynard called his brother, Tyrone, and a woman whom he identified as more than just a friend.

Asked by police the reason he attacked his wife, Maynard replied, "No idea why I did it"

Police Lt. Andrew Cota said police have not identified a motive and are no longer searching for one. He said neither Keith Maynard nor Ida Maynard told police of any problems they were having as a couple.

"We don't have anything that points at a motivation for us. Sometimes, you don't have one," he said.

Cota added, "Obviously there's something. But (Keith Maynard) didn't define it. He didn't tell us why."

"We can't believe somebody could be evil enough to beat his fiancee, go back to work and then marry her four days later in front of friends and family," Jennifer Lucarelli, Ida's sister, said. "And, at the wedding, to stand up in front of 200 people and give a toast, thanking her trainers at the gym for giving her the strength to survive, all for a girlfriend. It's just shameful."

Maynard told his wife he'd been the masked attacker earlier in the week and asked for reconciliation, Ida Maynard said.

"He'd have a better chance of God coming down and marrying him," she said

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