Man Waterboarded Girlfriend Before Baby Threatening, Chase Incident: Cops

A Meriden man previously charged with threatening to stab a relative’s 9-month-old baby at two gas stations to steal gas before leading state police on a nine-mile chase has been arrested on new charges of separately torturing and waterboarding his girlfriend in the basement of his Maple Street home, according to police.

According to the new arrest warrant served to Richard Stevenson, 25, on Friday, he had an argument with his girlfriend back in May. He then tied her hands and feet with shoelaces and placed a hammer and knife nearby, police said.

Court documents reveal Stevenson put a sock in her mouth and then began to pour water over the sock, into her mouth. The victim told police she began to feel as if she were drowning. It's a form of torture known as waterboarding.

In the arrest warrant, Stevenson's girlfriend said she eventually convinced him to let her go, he apologized, untied her and then went to sleep.

Authorities said Stevenson's criminal behavior didn't end there. Days later that month, they said surveillance video captured him entering a Wallingford gas station with a 9-month-old baby in his arms and put $8 on the counter while demanding $40 in gas. When the employee refused, Stevenson pointed a knife at the infant. The employee said he told Stevenson to go ahead and take whatever he wanted.

Police said Stevenson threatened to stab the baby again at a Meriden gas station. Authorities chased him for nine miles before taking him into custody.

Police say the child was not harmed and Stevenson was arrested in May in connection to the police chase and baby threatening incidents under investigation.

Now, police are also charging him with the reported torture of his girlfriend. The new warrant served to him on Friday charges him with first-degree unlawful restraint, third-degree assault and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment.

Stevenson is being held on $245,000 bond.

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