A hearing continued Aug. 27 for former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, who is attempting to get his job back following his termination.
Proctor, who served as the lead investigator in the Karen Read case, was put on unpaid leave in July 2024 and then fired in March, accused of violating four department policies.
Now, he’s vying to be reinstated. His hearing with the Civil Service Commission began on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Proctor’s attorney Daniel Moynihan said that Proctor was “an exemplary member of the Mass. State Police,” citing his years of service without a disciplinary record.
He called the actions against Proctor a “witch hunt” and said that the fired trooper was “made to be a scapegoat.”
On Wednesday, Aug. 27, Moynihan continued the cross-examination of Detective Lt. Kevin Dwyer, the Massachusetts State Police witness.
Dwyer led the internal personnel investigation.
Why was Karen Read investigator Michael Proctor fired?
Proctor was the lead investigator in the case of Read, a Mansfield woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend, Braintree native John O’Keefe. The first trial ended in a mistrial in July 2024 and Read was acquitted during her second trial, which ended in June, of all charges except operating a vehicle under the influence.
In March, a three-member trial board ruled that Proctor was guilty of violating four department policies, including sending insulting text messages about Read, sharing sensitive information about Read’s case with people from outside law enforcement, creating an image of being biased against Read, and drinking while on duty in connection with an unrelated cold case.
Former Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor testifies in the first Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court, Dedham Massachusetts on Wednesday June 12, 2024
The Karen Read case has drawn widespread national attention. Read’s defense claims it was a cover-up by law enforcement and that others involved framed Read for O’Keefe’s death.
Prosecutors say Read and O’Keefe had been drinking at a local bar with friends and acquaintances before they got into an argument. They say she hit him with her SUV outside the home of Brian Albert, who was hosting an afterparty, shortly before 12:30 a.m.
But Read’s lawyers say Read dropped O’Keefe off at Albert’s home where he was fatally beaten inside before his body was planted on the front lawn. They say she was then framed for his death.
While testifying in the first trial, Proctor was forced to read crude text messages he sent about Read to friends and coworkers at the start of the investigation.
Defendant Karen Read looks at witness Jen McCabe on the stand. In a heated exchange defense attorney Alan Jackson accuses witness Jen McCabe of deleting a Google search at 2:27am to hide her families involvement in the murder of John O’Keefe. The Karen Read murder trial at Norfolk Superior Court Dedham Massachusetts on Wednesday May 22, 2024 ( Pool Image by Greg Derr USA Today Network)
Read’s defense team said the messages showed Proctor had made up his mind that Read was guilty before doing a full investigation, fueling the cover-up theory.
Proctor apologized to the jury for his “unprofessional” comments.
In the hearing Tuesday, Moynihan said Proctor felt his “privacy was violated” when his texts were obtained from his personal cell phone.
“Michael Proctor has reacted to this unlike many other people would. Michael Proctor has never denied the authenticity of these text messages. He’s never denied that they are inappropriate, unprofessional, derogatory, sexist, and misogynistic,” Moynihan said.
However, he said, Proctor didn’t commit a crime or violate any specific policy prohibiting personal conduct on a personal phone, “because there is no specific policy.”
Moynihan said Proctor’s punishment does not comport with disciplinary actions typically taken by the Massachusetts State Police.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Trooper Proctor, fired over Karen Read case, appeals his termination