LOWELL (WBZ-AM) -- A judge denied a protective order against a Lowell state representative Thursday after a campaign challenger accused that rep of assaulting him.
State Rep. Rady Mom has three challengers in the primary, and one of them--Sam Meas--used to be his campaign manager. Meas sought a protection order against Rep. Mom in Woburn District Court, alleging that Mom tried to choke him at a restaurant.
"I tap on his shoulder to say hello, and as soon as he saw me say hello, he went ballistic," Meas told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "He grabbed my hand, choked my throat, and pulled the collar of my shirt down, and pressed really hard on one of his fists against my rib cage," he said.
Meas said he was "in a complete state of shock."
"And while he was choking me, he used so much profanity that we couldn't put it on air," Meas said.
Because Meas also alleged assaultive handshakes, Rep. Mom demonstrated his hug and handshake style in court.
The judge found no basis for the protective order.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports