A well-known Hudson Valley community activist who has organized events for children and families is facing new domestic violence charges, marking the second time in two years he has been arrested in connection with similar allegations.

Frank Flowers was arrested last Wednesday in the Town of Poughkeepsie, according to Dutchess County prosecutors. He is charged with assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, and endangering the welfare of a child, all misdemeanors, following what prosecutors describe as a domestic incident.

Flowers was arraigned in Town of Poughkeepsie Court and is currently out on $5,000 cash bail. Prosecutors say he has also been placed on electronic monitoring.

This is not his first arrest involving domestic violence allegations.

As News 12 reported in 2023, Flowers was arrested in Connecticut after being picked up by Connecticut State Police on an arrest warrant stemming from a domestic violence case there. According to criminal complaints obtained by News 12 at the time, Flowers was accused of breaking into a woman’s home and slamming her head on the ground during a violent, 20-minute altercation while she held a frightened and crying young child in her arms.

The criminal complaints further alleged that during a second incident, Flowers violated a restraining order by unlawfully entering the same residence and leaving a photograph of Santa Claus on the woman’s bed and a knife on her kitchen table.

News 12 has reached out to Connecticut prosecutors and court officials for an update on the status of the 2023 Connecticut case and is awaiting a response.

News 12 contacted Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers, Frank Flowers’ sister, in an effort to reach him for comment. The mayor declined to comment on the case but said she would notify her brother of our request.