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Chelmsford police lieutenant allegedly tampered with evidence to cover up officer’s OUI arrest
"We must ensure that everyone is held to accountability equally, regardless of their occupation.”
A lieutenant with the Chelmsford Police Department was indicted Tuesday on charges he tampered with records and instructed a subordinate not to charge a police officer with operating under the influence because they worked in law enforcement, authorities announced Tuesday.
Francis Goode Jr., 54, was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on the charges of tampering with a record for use in an official proceeding, intimidation of a witness, and violating the standards of conduct as a public employee, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“Employment as a member of law enforcement does not include being allowed to escape responsibility for breaking the law as a professional courtesy,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said in a statement. “The offenses which underlie today’s indictments stand in direct contradiction to the very oath which police officers are sworn to uphold. We must ensure that everyone is held to accountability equally, regardless of their occupation.”
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According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that began on March 16, 2024, when Michael Caprigno, 42, of North Reading, was pulled over in Chelmsford after he nearly struck a patrol officer head-on. After allegedly observing signs he was intoxicated, officers arrested Caprigno.
During the course of this arrest, Caprigno allegedly told officers he was employed by the Suffolk County sheriff and they would regret it if he was arrested, the DA’s office said in a statement.
At the police station, Caprigno allegedly told Goode in the booking area he was employed by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and sought his release. Goode is accused of subsequently instructing the arresting officer to write Caprigno a citation for a marked lanes violation, take no additional steps with the arrest, and not discuss the arrest with anyone else.
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Caprigno was not booked at the time, but he was indicted Tuesday on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and a violation of the standards of conduct as a public employee, the DA’s office said.
According to the state’s payroll website, Caprigno is a sergeant jail officer for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and made $143,596 in 2024. A request for comment from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department was not immediately returned Tuesday night.
Prosecutors said the incident came to the attention of Chelmsford Police Chief Colin Spence in December; Spence then contacted the DA’s office.
In a statement, Spence said he learned about the alleged incident in December as part of an internal affairs investigation conducted by an outside law firm.
Spence said separate “potential violations of policies and procedures” by Goode sparked the initial investigation.
“On Dec. 3, Lt. Goode was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, and the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission was notified per Massachusetts law and has been updated throughout the investigation,” the police chief said. “On Dec. 9, Matthews & Matthews informed me that it learned during its investigation about an incident in March 2024 that was unrelated to its initial investigation and that included possible allegations of unlawful conduct. Given the nature of this incident, I requested Matthews & Matthews suspend its investigation and immediately shared all of the findings with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.”
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The Chelmsford Police Department has cooperated fully with the DA’s investigation, Spence said.
According to Ryan’s office, arraignments for Goode and Caprigno have not yet been scheduled.
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