A former top official at the Hopkinton, Massachusetts, Police Department has been charged with three counts of child rape over incidents that allegedly took place in 2004 and 2005, officials said Monday.
John "Jay" Porter, who'd been deputy police chief in Hopkinton, was indicted by a grand jury in Middlesex County, District Attorney Marian Ryan announced. Porter had been placed on leave last year but no details were given at the time.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
On Monday, Ryan said that Porter is accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old student in 2004 and 2005 while Porter was a school resource officer in the town's school system. The alleged assaults, investigated by the Ryan's office and state police, took place off school property.
Porter was removed from the police department as of Friday, prosecutors said.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
Hopkinton Town Manager Norman Khumalo and Police Chief Joseph Bennett released a joint statement Monday afternoon saying that Porter retired from the department and that the town accepted that separation immediately. He had been on leave since August 2022.
They added that they were "deeply disturbed" by the allegations.
"These alleged crimes have no place in our community or anywhere else, and we extend our sympathies to the victim. The Hopkinton Police Department continues to cooperate fully with the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office," the statement read.
It wasn't immediately clear if Porter had an attorney who could speak to the charges, and the date of his arraignment hadn't been set as of Monday morning.
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.
Porter had been with the Hopkinton Police Department since 1992, and was honored in July with by being added to the police department's 30 Years of Service Award plaque. At the time, Chief Chief Joseph Bennett raved about Porter, saying the department was "thrilled" to recognize him and all he had achieved during his 30 years with the department.
According to the post on the department's Facebook page, Porter served as a patrol officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant before being appointed deputy chief in October 2021.
He was the department’s first school resource officer, as well as Hopkinton’s first accreditation manager, and had been selected as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Officer of the Year four times. Additionally, Porter had served on the Massachusetts Accreditation Committee’s standards and training board.
