Boston Blotter: One of the DA's Own Faces Charges

--Melvin Heard was once an Assistant DA working for Dan Conley. Now he faces charges of beating his own fiancée.

The charges have cost Heard his job. DA Dan Conley said in a statement: "On the morning of Monday, Aug. 20, immediately upon hearing of Melvin Heard’s arrest, I ordered him placed on unpaid leave. Our office undertook its own inquiry into the matter and four days later, on Aug. 24, he was terminated."

Heard's troubles started when neighbors heard all manner of carrying on at his home. WBZ quoted a neighbor who heard "crashing and banging." Heard's girlfriend, Lacey Cochrane, told police that he beat her up, but she later recanted. A judge decided that there was enough evidence to hold up the charges against Heard.

Conley was quick to note that the office isn't assuming Heard is guilty, but they are moving the case over to the Middlesex DA's office. If the charges are true, you'd think someone who studies the law for a living might know better.

--A toddler fell out of a fourth-floor window in Framingham yesterday afternoon. The 18-month-old girl may have been playing near the window when the screen came loose and she fell over. She sustained injuries to her head and face and is now in critical condition at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

--A really weird guy tried to use hatred of President Bush as an excuse for pistol-whipping a driver in Cambridge. On Tuesday, a man was driving on Rindge Avenue when an assailant came to his window and "demanded" a ride to McDonalds. (If we were committing a robbery, we'd want something more high-end. Just saying.)

The driver was having none of it, and the pistol-whipping started. The attacker told his victim, “The only reason I’m not pulling the trigger is I’m flying to Washington, D.C. and I’m going to shoot the man you support, Bush.” Uh, Bush may be to blame for a lot of things, but not for the urge to go pistol-whipping. The man is still at large.

All charges alleged until proven under law. Yes, that is Boston Legal, though we imagine Shatner and Spader would be above such behavior.