Local News

POST commission suspends license of trooper accused of assaulting child

State Police relieved Michael Gagnon of duty after he was arrested last week on child abuse allegations.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper casts a shadow on a backdrop during a press conference. Jessica Rinaldi / The Boston Globe, File

By Abby Patkin

December 4, 2025

1 minute to read

The state’s police oversight commission has suspended a Massachusetts State Police trooper who was arrested last week on child abuse allegations.

The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission pulled Trooper Michael Gagnon’s law enforcement certification Tuesday, a week after he was arrested and charged with domestic assault and battery and assault and battery on a child causing injury.

The POST Commission suspension order directs Gagnon to surrender his agency-issued credentials and equipment, including his uniform, badge, firearm, cruiser, and Taser. A State Police spokesperson previously said Gagnon has been relieved of duty and suspended without pay.

Previously:

State Police trooper charged with domestic assault of child, released on $1,000 bail

“The Massachusetts State Police stands firmly against all forms of domestic violence,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We will follow the court proceedings as part of our ongoing personnel investigation and await the outcome of that process.”

Police in Plympton — where Gagnon lives — said the trooper was arrested following an investigation that involved the state’s Department of Children and Families.

According to Boston 25 News, Gagnon’s child told authorities his father struck him in the face with a closed fist, injuring him. Gagnon also allegedly told the child not to tell his mother what happened and to instead blame the mark on an accident involving a wiffle ball bat, the news outlet reported.

The alleged injury happened while the boy was visiting his father, as Gagnon and his wife were in the process of divorcing, according to Boston 25.

Gagnon has pleaded not guilty and was released on $1,000 bail, with orders to stay away from and have no contact with a person named in court documents.

His lawyer, Daniel Moynihan, previously told Boston.com the trooper “denies the veracity of the allegations against him.”