Sgt. Timothy Brennan attends a disciplinary hearing. He stands accused of failing to report child rape allegations against John “Jay” Porter, a former deputy chief of the Hopkinton Police Department
Hopkinton is grappling with how to respond to an investigation into one of its police sergeants - an investigation that found he failed to report child rape allegations against another high-ranking officer despite having known about them for years.
John "Jay" Porter, a former deputy chief of the Hopkinton Police Department, pleaded not guilty in May to three counts of child rape. He is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2004 and 2005 when he was a school resource officer.
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The town hired an outside investigator after learning a member of the department - Sgt. Timothy Brennan - may have had prior knowledge of the alleged assaults and not acted. Brennan is facing disciplinary action - including possible termination - for his role in the situation.
The NBC10 Investigators have previously reported on the case against Brennan.
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On Friday the Hopkinton Select Board held a disciplinary hearing regarding Brennan's potential termination. During the hearing, various exhibits, including a transcript of an interview with an outside investigator, were presented.
That transcript reveals that Brennan admitted that the alleged victim told him about what she described a consensual relationship with Porter as early as 2015. Based on Brennan's recollections, the woman - then in her 20s - originally described the relationship as having started when she was an adult, but would eventually detail things that happened between the two of them when she was 14.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
The Hopkinton Police Department has released documents related to the case on its website, available here.
Brennan was given a chance to speak during the hearing. In a prepared statement, he detailed his 36-year career and pointed out that he's had no prior disciplinary issues. He described his relationship with the survivor as one that was professional and supportive and that it started while he was working as her school resource officer.
Friday night's hearing did not make a final decision - all parties now have 30 days to come to a deal concerning Brennan's potential severance and earned benefits.
Porter was indicted on the child rape charges May 1. Prosecutors said he assaulted the girl in his car on two different occasions in 2004 and 2005. He will go on trial for the charges against him.
