UPDATED Affidavit: Man Assaulted Outside Groton Bar Suffered Skull Fracture

The 26-year-old Niantic man injured outside a Groton bar on Jan. 28 suffered a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain that required removal of part of his skull, according to an affidavit filed in New London Superior Court.

Groton Police arrested a Waterford man Tuesday on first-degree assault charges from the incident at Rose’s Cantina last month, police said in a news release.

Benjamin Perry, 25, of 41 Miner Ave in Waterford, was arrested and presented in New London Superior Court Tuesday on first-degree assault charges. He was released on bond with the stipulation that he have no contact with the victim. His case was continued to March 12. He did not enter a plea.

The Groton Police Department news release said that on Jan. 28, police were called to the bar at 577 Route 12 at 12:41 a.m. for a report of a man down. The bar, which hosts exotic dancers, was closed at the time.

The victim, 26-year-old Richard M. Staub, was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, then transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital with life-threatening injuries, the news release said.

A Groton detective said in the affidavit that Staub was lying in a grassy area outside the bar when she arrived.

“Staub was bleeding from the back of his head and ears. He was unresponsive and appeared to be unconscious,” the affidavit said.

A doctor at Yale-New Haven Medical Center said Staub suffered a skull fracture on the left side behind his ear, bi-frontal bruises and hematomas on both sides of his skull, the affidavit said. The doctor said the skull fracture was not consistent with a ground-level fall, the affidavit said.

“The injuries resulted in swelling in Staub’s brain to the point that he underwent surgery to relieve pressure, which included the removal of the top portion of Staub’s skull,” the affidavit said.

Police interviewed the two men with Staub at the time, including Perry.

Perry gave this account of what happened, according to the affidavit: He, another man and Staub went first to Mohegan Sun Casino, then the Gold Club in Groton, then to Rose’s Cantina.

Perry said they were drinking to excess and had been using cocaine. When the bar closed, they called a taxi and waited outside, the affidavit said.

“Perry said that he was sitting on a bench outside of Rose's when Staub came up to him and hit him in his face. Perry stood up off of the bench and hit Staub back in his face. When he hit Staub, he fell to the ground. Perry noticed that Staub was not getting up and was bleeding from his left ear. Perry ran to the door of Rose’s Cantina and banged on it to get help,” the affidavit said.

The manager of Rose’s Catina said the three men arrived around midnight, had one drink and appeared to be over the legal limit, the affidavit said. The manager said they were refused any more alcohol, and he called a taxi to pick them up and told them to wait outside, the affidavit said.

In less than five minutes, the bartender began screaming for him, the manager said in the affidavit.

“One of the males was pounding on the front door and screaming that his friend passed out and fell. He noticed one of the males lying on his back in the grass in front of the bench,” the affidavit said.

After Staub was taken to the hospital, the two men with Staub took a taxi to Motel 6 in Niantic, where they rented a room and Perry paced, the affidavit said.

Perry called his sister, who described him as very drunk and upset, the affidavit said.

“Perry was crying and told her that Staub had been hurt pretty bad, and was in the hospital,” the affidavit said. “Perry admitted to her that he struck Staub after Staub struck him. Perry told her that he struck Staub and Staub fell to the ground striking his head.”

On Feb. 12, a Groton detective interviewed the victim’s wife. She said Staub has been moved from intensive care to another unit and has his own nurse. “He is confused with no recall of memory and does not recognize some of the people in his life,” the affidavit said.

The doctor from Yale told police the prognosis was that Staub would survive and “with extensive rehabilitation, may recover most of his normal function.”