Weymouth Mom Has Disorderly Conduct Conviction Overturned

The state Appeals Court have overturned a Weymouth mother’s 2009 disorderly conduct conviction.

The court ruled that the Weymouth police acted improperly when they arrested and charged Mariann Gardner with disorderly conduct after an incident at a Weymouth park, according to Boston.com.

Gardner served almost a week in MCI-Framingham on a six-month sentence before she was released pending the appeal of her guilty finding in Quincy District Court, the Globe reported.

In May 2009, police received an anonymous tip that someone had a hand gun in House Rock Park. No weapon was found, but several youths, including two of Gardner’s sons, were at the park and she was called to take them home while police continued their investigation, the Globe reported.

When Gardner arrived, police said she ignored orders to stay away from her son’s car and when an officer put his hand on her right arm, she spun around with clenched fists.

Gardner had a different story.  She claimed she arrived on scene with her daughter.  When a police officer started screaming at her daughter, she turned to the officer and said, ‘You are a police officer; you should know better than yelling like this,’ the Globe reported.

She then claimed,  he grabbed her, threw her against the son’s car,  he pulled her arm behind her back, fracturing her wrist and was later charged with disorderly conduct.

For a full story of the arrest and appeal, visit Boston.com.