Guests end wedding with fight in parking lot

By Julie Manganis
Staff writer
—

DANVERS — Instead of sending off the bride and groom after a wedding reception Saturday night, an Amesbury couple ended up being led off in handcuffs, after a fight with another guest and then a tussle with officers, according to police.

Shawn J. Pappas, 44, and his wife, Lindsay Pappas, 33, were leaving the Danversport Yacht Club on Saturday night when Shawn Pappas got into a fight with another guest he accused of flirting with his wife, according to a Danvers police report.

Witnesses told police that the other guest, who has not been identified, pulled up to the couple in an orange Chevrolet Camaro and stopped right in front of them, and Pappas then got into a fight with the driver.

By the time police arrived, they found Pappas, in a ripped dress shirt, yelling, as about 20 other guests watched.

Witnesses told police that Pappas even took a few swings at a security guard, as the groom tried to get him to calm down.

When police arrived, Pappas turned his ire on them, demanding that they arrest the man in the orange Camaro. Police have no idea who that person is, they said in a report.

Police initially asked if there was anyone available to drive the couple home to Amesbury, but found no volunteers. They also rejected a suggestion by Lindsay Pappas that they be allowed to take a cab, because police were concerned about their level of intoxication.

At that point, police decided to take Shawn Pappas, who had continued "ranting and raving," into custody. He went down swinging, police said, yelling expletives and insults at the officers.

Then, his wife jumped into the fray, ending up on top of them, police said.

Both were arrested on disorderly conduct charges. Shawn Pappas is facing a charge of resisting arrest, and Lindsay Pappas is facing a charge of interfering with police.

On the way back to the station, Shawn Pappas told the officer that he'd gotten out of his handcuffs — prompting the patrolman to call for backup at the station. It turned out he was lying about the cuffs, but he continued a barrage of insults and threats, police said.

Meanwhile, Lindsay Pappas complained that she'd gotten wood chips in her underpants, pulling up her dress to show everyone in the police station booking area, police said.

Then, she claimed she had chest pains, but when EMTs arrived, she told them she was fine, police said. Eventually, she was given a ride home by a co-worker at Beverly Hospital, where she is a nurse.

Shawn Pappas was released later from police custody.

Both pleaded not guilty to the charges at their arraignments yesterday in Salem District Court. They were advised to hire a lawyer and are due back in court Sept. 2.

I just got back to my office, so unfortunately, this is the first chance I have had to talk about this story.  Right off the top, let me say this:  Julie Manganis, this is how you write a story!  No wasted thoughts, no wasted words.  I really think that literally, every paragraph of this story had an important fact or development in it.  Julie will be working for the New York Times very, very soon.  Anyway, onto the story, and lets really get into this one.


First of all, Danvers.  Of course it was.  The dude that was accused of flirting with the wife was driving an ORANGE CAMARO.  I repeat, ORANGE CAMARO.

You don't drive an orange Camaro and share a few simple pleasantries with a woman in a parking lot.  You roll up to her with her husband right there and spit serious game.  You expect to take the wife from her husband and if not, you move on to the bridesmaids.  Also, is there any doubt he was blaring Billy Squier on his stereo?

The husband had every right to absolutely lose his sh!t and lay a beating on Mr. Camaro; blink and all you will see is tail lights after your woman has very happily hopped in shotgun.

I also love how taking the couple to jail and booking them wasn't really on the cops' to-do list, they asked for volunteers to drive them home, but no one from the wedding was sober enough.  Both the husband AND wife end up brawling with the cops, forcing their hand. 

We then come to my favorite part:  the wife complains that she got wood chips in her underwear and proceeds to show everyone in the police booking area.

This was an AWESOME wedding.  Forget crashing the weddings of the rich and famous, give me a Danvers wedding every day of the week.

-Big Ran

Thanks to Patrick for the tip on this story.

KC Jones Comments: First of all, it should be noted that I was at a wedding this weekend, on Saturday night. However, I can neither confirm nor deny that it was in Danvers or that I also ended up with wood chips in my undergarments. Shout out to this reporter for NOT using the word "Panties"---As Big Ran has known since our high school days, this word ranks EXTREMELY high on the 'forbidden words' list. I love that this dude created additional chaos by lying about getting out of the cuffs, and I love every single factoid I was able to extract from this story. Sometimes you want proof that God loves us, and this story is that proof.  

P.S:  Big Ran,  nice shout out to our main man Billy Squier....if it weren't for him, what else would Chaz Michael Michaels have skated to in "Blades of Glory"??

P.P.S: Notice the vanity plate on the pic of the Orange Camaro---HUGGERSS...awww, too cute. What?!