A former Hopkinton police sergeant who was fired earlier this year after failing to report child rape allegations has been hired by another local department.
The Hopkinton Police Department terminated former Sgt. Timothy Brennan back in February after the town says Brennan failed to report sexual assault allegations against now-retired Deputy Police Chief John Porter. Porter was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 2004 and 2005 when he was a school resource officer. He had pleaded not guilty to those charges.
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Once the victim was an adult she told Brennan about the allegations. He eventually convinced her to report Porter to the district attorney. Residents believe his handling of the situation cost Brennan his job.
“Because he counseled her to come forward and it reflected poorly on the town he ended up losing his job,” said Hopkinton resident Tim Boivin.
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There is still support for Brennan in Hopkinton – signs of support decorate lawns and car windows throughout the town.
“He went through a long vetting process with our detective bureau and there was no reason that in my humble opinion that he should have been fired in the first place,” said Milford Police Chief Robert Tusino.
Milford police swore Brennan in on Monday. He’s currently trying to appeal the town of Hopkinton’s decision through arbitration.
The town hired an outside investigator after finding out Brennan may have had prior knowledge of the alleged assaults and not acted. Earlier this year, Hopkinton police released documents related to the case on its website.
NBC10 Boston reached out to Hopkinton Police and the town for comment, but we have not heard back.
