Crime

State trooper arrested in Mansfield, relieved of duty

Trooper Richard Whelan is facing one count of domestic assault and battery following an alleged incident early Saturday.

August 13, 2024

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Feb. 19, 2025 update: The criminal case against Massachusetts State Police Trooper Richard Whelan has been dismissed due to a lack of prosecution, court records show.

“Trooper Whelan and his family are extremely grateful that this case, which was based on one meritless allegation, has been dismissed,” Benjamin P. Urbelis, his attorney, said in a statement. “He looks … forward to continuing his public service with the state police.”

A Massachusetts State Police trooper has been relieved of duty following his arrest in an alleged domestic assault incident over the weekend.

Trooper Richard Whelan, 27, is facing one count of domestic assault and battery after authorities allege he grabbed his 26-year-old girlfriend by the throat and shook her at his Mansfield home around midnight Saturday. He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Monday and was released on personal recognizance.

Officers responded to Whelan’s Draper Avenue neighborhood around 12:05 a.m. Saturday for a reported disturbance, according to a police report filed in Attleboro District Court. Whelan and his girlfriend attended a Dierks Bentley concert with another couple earlier in the night, and police said a verbal argument over mental health erupted as the group left the concert venue.

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Whelan allegedly grew angry and said his girlfriend and another woman present “didn’t understand mental health issues from a law enforcement perspective,” according to the report. He then called his girlfriend a “f***ing disgrace to this whole community,” police said.

When the group returned to Whelan’s house, Whelan allegedly punched a wall as he entered. The other woman who attended the concert followed Whelan and his girlfriend into the house to gather some belongings while her own boyfriend waited outside. According to the police report, she told officers she heard a commotion and saw Whelan standing in the kitchen with his hands around his girlfriend’s throat, shaking her back and forth.

Whelan allegedly walked outside after telling his girlfriend he hated her, according to the report. The woman who witnessed the purported incident told her boyfriend what she saw, prompting him to call 911.

Whelan’s breath smelled of alcohol as he spoke to police, according to the report. His girlfriend allegedly told officers “that nothing happened and that Richard did nothing wrong.” She had no visible marks on her neck, though officers noted apparent blood on her collar that police said could be consistent with a wound on Whelan’s knuckles, according to the report.

Whelan notified his supervisor of his arrest, and State Police coordinated with Mansfield police to retrieve the trooper’s equipment, firearm, and cruiser, according to the report. A State Police spokesperson confirmed Whelan has been relieved of duty and is now the subject of an open internal affairs investigation.

“Richard Whelan is presumed innocent, maintains his innocence, and we are confident that when the dust settles, he will be cleared of these accusations,” his defense attorney Benjamin P. Urbelis said in a statement Tuesday.