Island Resident Facing Charges Following Nighttime Break-In

An island resident was arraigned in Nantucket District Court on Wednesday following an alleged incident Tuesday evening where he broke into a home and caused several thousand dollars worth of damage ranging from broken doors, flat screens, a bureau, and other items.

Cory Vaughn, 33, of Nantucket, was arraigned on July 25 charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime with the intent to commit a felony, malicious destruction of property over $1,200, and violating an abuse prevention order. He had not-guilty pleas entered on his behalf and is being held in the Barnstable House of Corrections until Monday, which is when a 58A Hearing will be held. In this hearing, the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s office will move for Vaughn to be held in custody during the pretrial process based on its contention that he is a danger to the community.

According to the police report, officer Derek Witherell along with other members of the Nantucket Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police responded to a residence on Benjamin Drive on Tuesday for a report of a disturbance.

Upon arrival, officers observed the front door to be open and a storm door damaged with a glass pane out of the door and on the ground. Officers called out that police were outside of the home and for the occupants to come out. Officers heard nothing inside of the house and no one came out of the home.

Officers were concerned that a small child was in the home and made entry into the residence. They went to go upstairs and found a bureau thrown down the stairs and broken glass. Officers had to move the bureau out of the way to continue upstairs.

Once upstairs they found several broken items including doors, a flat-screen TV ripped off the wall with the screen smashed, and a child’s iPad with a broken screen. The child’s room floor had food dumped on it with a large number of broken shards of glass. There were holes in various walls, makeup dumped onto the ground and placed in a running bathroom sink, but no one was found to be home. Police say that the damage totaled “several thousand dollars.”

There was also fresh smeared blood found in the upstairs hallway.

The alleged victim returned to the home and spoke with Witherell later on. This person explained to Witherell that she was in her bedroom on the first floor when she heard loud noises coming from upstairs. She said no other people were supposed to be in the home at the time and when she went to investigate the ruckus, found Vaughn destroying the upstairs floor of her home.

The alleged victim has an active restraining order against Vaughn, which states he should have no contact with the person and stay at least 25 yards away at all times. The victim went on to say that she observed Vaughn rip a door off its hinges and throw it onto the ground.

When the victim told Vaughn he wasn’t supposed to be there and told him to leave, he replied “Ok b***h! You want to send me back to jail!” The victim told Witherell she proceeded to flee the home out of fear Vaughn, who she claims had assaulted her in the past and would assault her again.

The victim said she believes she must have left the front door unlocked and that Vaughn must have come through that door. Vaughn’s credit card was also found in the lower floor of the home and officers found his wallet in a field 30-40 feet away from the home.

Vaughn was found near a family member's home with fresh cuts and blood on his hands. When Vaughn was asked about the incident, he refused to speak to officers and was taken into custody.

This story will be updated.