2 Mass. officers lose certification after indictments

The state’s police watchdog agency suspended the certifications of a State Police trooper and a Chelmsford police officer last week. Both were recently indicted. 

Terrence Kent, the State Police trooper, is facing charges of bribery and indecent assault and battery. He was first suspended last November, and details of the allegations against him came to light earlier this month. Prosecutors say Kent asked a driver for a sexual favor in order to prevent his car from being towed. 

The incident in question happened last August on Soldiers Field Road in Brighton. Kent allegedly used his State Police cruiser to block the car of the victim, who had stopped on the side of the road. Kent allegedly said that the driver’s registration and insurance were expired and his car needed to be towed.

Prosecutors say Kent then said that they could meet at a Department of Transportation property in Lexington. Kent allegedly told the victim that he would “take care” of him by not towing his car if the victim performed a sexual act as a favor. 

Kent had previously been suspended for eight days and forfeited 38 days of time off for abandoning his assigned post in 2023, according to data from the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. That agency, the state watchdog, issued a suspension order to Kent last week. 

Francis Goode Jr. was also issued a suspension order from the POST Commission the same day. Goode, a lieutenant with the Chelmsford Police Department, faces 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. They stem from a series of incidents that allegedly began last March. 

Michael Caprigno, of North Reading, was pulled over in Chelmsford after he almost struck a police cruiser head-on. Caprigno was arrested after he allegedly showed signs of being intoxicated. 

While he was being arrested, Caprigno said that he was employed by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department and said that the officers would regret arresting him, prosecutors say. 

While Caprigno was being booked, he allegedly told Goode about his employment and asked for his release. Goode allegedly then instructed the arresting officer to write Caprigno a citation for a marked lanes violation, take no additional steps with the arrest, and not discuss the incident with anyone else. 

Caprigno was not booked at the time. He was later indicted on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and a violation of the standards of conduct as a public employee. 

Goode was placed on paid administrative leave last December after Chelmsford Police Chief Colin Spence learned of the incident as part of an internal affairs investigation conducted by an outside law firm. Other “potential violations of policies and procedures” by Goode led to the initial investigation. Spence shared the law firm’s findings with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, leading to Goode’s indictment. 

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