The Fall River Justice Center, a curved glass and stone courthouse on South Main Street
The Fall River Justice Center, where the case is being heard. Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FALL RIVER One of two men charged in the Oct. 15 machete attack at the homeless encampment on Brayton Avenue in Fall River pleaded not guilty Friday, Oct. 23, and was held on bail of $75,000 surety bond or $7,500 cash, the Fall River Reporter reported, citing court records.

Jason Ramalho was arraigned in Fall River District Court on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and armed robbery the same day officers arrested him, according to the Fall River Reporter. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 13, the outlet reported. Both men charged in the case are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The Fall River Police Department gave Ramalho's age as 43 in its own post on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Fall River Reporter listed him as 39.

The second man

Danny Nieves, 38, faces the same two charges on a warrant and was still wanted as of Saturday, police said. The department describes him as 5 feet 2 inches tall and about 125 pounds and said he is homeless. Police said anyone who sees him should not approach him and should call 911. Tips on where he is can go to the department's tip line at 508-672-TIPS (8477), and anonymous tips are welcome.

How the case reached court

Patrol Bureau officers responded to the attack on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 15, and detectives from the Major Crimes Division continued the investigation and identified the two men, police said. Warrants were issued for both, and members of the department's CAST Team took Ramalho into custody on Friday.

A man was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with injuries to his head after the attack, the Fall River Reporter reported. He has not been publicly identified.

What the charges carry

Under state law, the basic charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to 10 years in state prison or up to 2 1/2 years in a house of correction, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. Armed robbery is punishable by up to life in state prison or any term of years. The law defines it as assaulting someone while armed with a dangerous weapon and taking money or property from that person.

The two charges also differ in which court can hear them. The law that sets what district courts may hear lists assault and battery with a dangerous weapon among the offenses they share with the Superior Court, along with felonies carrying no more than five years in state prison. Armed robbery is not on that list.

What a probable cause hearing is

At a probable cause hearing, the court examines the complainant and the prosecution's witnesses under oath, in the presence of the defendant, on the material facts of the charge, under Chapter 276, Section 38 of the General Laws. The defense may then call its own witnesses, and a defense lawyer may question the prosecution's witnesses. The same section says a defendant who has the right to be charged by grand jury indictment and chooses a probable cause hearing instead gives up that right.

On bail, Chapter 276, Section 57 says that unless a person has been found dangerous, bail is to be set no higher than what would reasonably assure the person comes back to court, taking into account the person's financial resources. The same section allows a higher bail than the person can afford when neither other conditions nor an affordable amount would reasonably assure that the person returns.

What comes next

South Coast 360 asked the Bristol County District Attorney's office on Saturday for the court record in the case, including the docket number and the name of any lawyer for Ramalho, and asked Fall River police for the department's account of the arrest and the warrant. No lawyer for Ramalho has been publicly named. We will add the answers when they come in. Our Oct. 24 story reported the arrest and the warrant.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The arraignment, the plea, the bail and the Nov. 13 hearing date come from the Fall River Reporter's Oct. 24 report, which cites court records, and they are credited to the outlet until we read the court record. The arrest, the warrants, the names, ages and charges, the description of Danny Nieves and the tip line come from the Fall River Police Department's own Oct. 24 post. Penalties, court jurisdiction, the probable cause hearing and bail rules come from the General Laws, which we read on Oct. 25. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. No one who was attacked is named. Not heard: the Bristol County District Attorney's office and Fall River police have not yet answered our requests.

Corrections

No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.

Sources (8)
  1. Fall River Reporter, "One arrested, one wanted, in Fall River tent city machete attack" (Oct. 24, 2026)Arraignment Friday in Fall River District Court, the not guilty plea, bail of $75,000 surety or $7,500 cash and the Nov. 13 probable cause hearing, all citing court records; Ramalho's age as 39; the head injury and Rhode Island Hospital. Posted Oct. 24, 2026, 9 a.m. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  2. City of Fall River Police Department, "ARREST UPDATE / WANTED: Brayton Ave. Machete Attack" (official post, Oct. 24, 2026)The Oct. 15 attack, the Patrol Bureau and Major Crimes Division, the warrants, names, ages and charges, the CAST Team arrest Friday, the description of Nieves, the warning and the tip line. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
  3. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 265, Section 15APenalty for assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, subsection (b). Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  4. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 265, Section 17Armed robbery and its penalty. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  5. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 218, Section 26Offenses the district courts may hear, concurrent with the Superior Court. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  6. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 276, Section 38Examination of witnesses; probable cause hearing and waiver of indictment. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  7. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 276, Section 57Setting bail and the person's financial resources. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
  8. South Coast 360: arrest and warrant in the Brayton Avenue machete attack (Oct. 24, 2026)Our earlier story on the case.