Trooper suspended over alleged lewd act during Luke Bryan concert
“The off-duty conduct as alleged utterly contradicts the manner in which the department demands its members conduct themselves in their personal lives."
A Massachusetts state trooper is facing a lewd, wanton and lascivious conduct charge after he allegedly began masturbatingduring a Luke Bryan concert at Gillette Stadium in June.Andrew Patterson, 32, has been suspended from work since the June 21 incident, according to WCVB. A Wrentham District Court clerk magistrate decided on Thursday that the charge can proceed; Patterson’s arraignment is set for Nov. 8 in the same court, according to MassLive.Patterson was first suspended with pay following the incident, but a Friday hearing by state police on Patterson’s status concluded with him being suspended without pay, according to a statement from department spokesman Dave Procopio.“The off-duty conduct as alleged utterly contradicts the manner in which the department demands its members conduct themselves in their personal lives,” read a portion of a separate statement from state police released following the clerk magistrate’s decision.During the concert, police were first called for a report of a fight on the floor of the stadium, according to WCVB. A couple told authorities that Patterson and a friend “had been acting inappropriately throughout the night.”At one point, Patterson allegedly sat in one of the victim’s seats and, when asked to move, “motioned for him to sit on his lap,” according to WCVB, which quoted and paraphrased the report. Patterson also allegedly pulled his penis from his shorts and started to masturbate. The friend apologized and they left.Later on, Patterson began to pretend to “grind” on the female victim, and a member of Patterson’s group began recording the incident, WCVB said. When the male victim tried to push the phone away, he was allegedly punched by someone in Patterson’s party.The victims said they didn’t want to pursue charges, but based on what was alleged, plus texts and a Facebook post, police decided to pursue the current charge against Patterson, according to WCVB.
State Police say trooper Andrew Patterson is now suspended without pay following a closed door hearing at HQ #7news pic.twitter.com/c6358aTNRp
— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) October 25, 2019
