A Salem police officer in the midst of divorcing his wife has been charged with assaulting his mother-in-law in the family home during a laundry dispute, according to legal filings.
Sean Guntram Whitaker, 47, pleaded not guilty Monday in Salem District Court to a sole felony count of assault and battery on a disabled person or someone over 60, records show.
He was released on personal recognizance, with orders to stay away from his mother-in-law and surrender all firearms and his license to carry, court papers said.
His court-appointed lawyer for the arraignment indicated he would retain private counsel; the identity of that private attorney wasn’t known.
Officers were called to Whitaker’s home for a reported domestic dispute late Monday morning, a police report said.
Whitaker told police he had placed his clothes in the dryer and then heard his mother-in-law take them out, so he went downstairs to confront her, the report said.
He said he told her “no” as he attempted to grab the laundry from her, and that the 73-year-old woman began to punch him in the stomach, the report said.
He was not injured, but his mother-in-law, who hails from eastern Europe, had an ice pack on her arm as she told police through a translator that Whitaker had gotten angry with her when she took his clothes out of the dryer to replace them with his children’s clothing, the report said.
She told police that he pushed her, causing her to fall backwards and hit her elbow and wrist area, according to the report. She denied hitting her son-in-law.
Whitaker told police he grabbed the clothes but “never put a hand on her,” although she had an apparent bump on her upper forearm. The report said she went to a local hospital for treatment.
At one point, the officer’s “soon to be ex-wife” arrived and was apprised of what was happening, the report said.
Court papers said the couple have three children who live with them along with the mother-in-law.
The state’s police oversight board, meanwhile, suspended Whitaker’s law enforcement certification on Wednesday, a common step when criminal charges are filed against an officer.
Police officers in Massachusetts need an active state certification to work.
The next hearing in Whitaker’s case is scheduled for Nov. 25.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.