Westfield man allegedly raped and beat woman at home while girlfriend was away

WESTFIELD – A 30-year-old Westfield man is being held in jail on $50,000 bail after being charged in District Court last week with a long list of mostly sexual offenses.

Thomas Caves, of 69 Court St., Apt. A3, was arraigned July 5 before Judge Charle Groce in Westfield District Court on three counts of sexual assault and battery, and one count each of rape, sexual exposure, battery, threat to commit a crime (murder) and battery occasioning great bodily harm. The charges stem from a May 18 incident reported to Westfield Police Detective Andrew Cekovsky.

In a court document, Cekovsky states that between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. two women were in the Westfield apartment where Caves lived with his girlfriend.

When his girlfriend was gone for about 20 minutes, Cekovsky reports, Caves touched a victim inappropriately, “without (her) consent and against her will,” and then sexually abused her. Cekovsky wrote that this victim “kept telling him ‘no’ and ‘stop.'” He reported that the victim said he was “very big and very strong” and had told her he had just been released from prison, so “Victim No. 1 wanted to get out of there alive, so she avoided him at every opportunity.”

Then, Cekovsky reports, Caves exposed his genitals to her and made an indecent proposition. He “grabbed her by the neck and pushed her against her vehicle.” In the video, Cekovsky wrote, Caves can be seen threatening to kill Victim No. 1’s brother three times, and that outside of the video he told both victims he had guns, threatened to shoot them both, “and said he wanted to leave them on the ground.”

Caves then inappropriately touched her “without Victim 2’s consent and against her will.” He said when the man’s girlfriend returned, the victims told her what had happened in their absence. Caves’ girlfriend protested to him. He then punched the second victim in the face, breaking her nose.

The police report states that Victim 2 required a stent in each nostril for approximately eight days and had to limit the use of her nose. When the cast was removed, a scar remained on the bridge of her nose.

She missed work three times for a total of 10 days before entering a longer period that began on June 20 and is expected to last until July 14. During her work hours, she was only allowed to do light work and was severely restricted in the way her doctor would approve her working.

Cekovsky investigated Caves’ background and found that he had been accused of a number of offenses outside of Massachusetts.

Cekovsky called for a warrant for his arrest, writing, “Thomas is currently on federal probation and has a history of violating his probation.” He was also “convicted of illegal possession of firearms, importing/manufacturing firearms in New York, and illegal possession of firearms in (Connecticut), among many other charges in other states.”

Since the District Court does not have jurisdiction to hear one of the charges against Caves – rape – it must be brought before the Superior Court, and it is almost certain that all of the charges will be referred there.

The rape charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. If convicted on that charge or any of the other indecent assault and battery charges, Caves would have to register as a sex offender.

Caves is scheduled to return to District Court for a pretrial hearing on August 6.