Woburn woman charged as knife-wielding homophobe on the Orange Line

A Woburn woman charged with threatening people with a knife on an Orange Line after the Pride parade earlier this month will be held without bail for at least two months after her bail on an earlier charge was revoked, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

According to the DA's office, Denise Knox, 36, was arraigned in Charlestown Municipal Court yesterday on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, threats to commit a crime and a civil-rights violation for an incident on an outbound Orange Line train approaching Community College on the evening of June 9.

Prosecutors allege that Knox started talking trash to a woman carrying a rainbow flag:

After a hostile verbal exchange in which Knox mentioned the parade, used homophobic slurs, and threatened this woman, another passenger intervened and suggested Knox either leave her alone or get off the train.

Knox allegedly produced a folding knife at this time and threatened the passenger who intervened. This man moved to another car and pressed the emergency call button to report the incident. Transit Police officers responded to Community College station, where they were directed to Knox but were unable to locate a victim; their investigation continued in the hours that followed.

Later that night, the victim contacted Transit Police to report the incident. Based on her statements, a follow-up interview with the man Knox allegedly threatened with the knife, and a review of footage from MBTA public safety cameras, Transit Police obtained a warrant for Knox’s arrest.

Knox had bail on the Orange Line incident set at $5,000, but a judge revoked her bail on an unrelated charge of assault and battery out of Woburn, the DA's office reports.

Innocent, etc.