Thursday, August 14, 2008

Man violates restraining order by remarrying wife he abused

A Batavia, NY man was charged with violating an order of protection by going too near to his ex-wife at the wedding where he remarried her. The current arrest occurred after Timothy T. Cole, 45, remarried his 34 year old Batavia wife. A neighbor called after Cole started arguing with a guest over a chair, and police found the existing order of protection taken out by his second time bride.

According to Batavia City Court documents, Cole was charged with second-degree criminal contempt on July 1, meaning that he violated a previous court order. The July 1 order of protection required Cole to stay away from the woman he ended up marrying Friday.

The order, which also mandated that he stay away from the woman's home, school, business and place of employment, was effective until July 1, 2011. Cole was required to "refrain from communication or any other contact" with the woman.

Cole was charged with 1st degree criminal contempt, a felony, for the remarriage to his wife. He is currently being held without bond at the Genesee County jail. He had violated previous protective orders against his victim, and had a criminal record for punching his wife in the eye back when they were married the 1st time in 2003. In 2005, Cole was charged with assault after instigating an attack on another prosiner, and he spent a decade in jail for 2nd degree kidnapping in 1987.

Cathy Mazzotta, executive director of Alternatives for Battered Women in Rochester, was not familiar with Cole's case but said women who have orders of protection against men sometimes end up having contact with them for various reasons.

"Victims have the same hopes and aspirations we all have," Mazzotta said. "They are hopeful their abusers will change ... and believe their promises. They are looking toward the future in a positive way."

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