A police lieutenant in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, has been indicted nearly a year after he allegedly ordered a subordinate not to charge a law enforcement employee who was arrested.
The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said Tuesday that a grand jury had indicted 54-year-old Francis Goode Jr. on charges of tampering with a record for use in an official proceeding, witness intimidation and violating the standards of conduct as a public employee.
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The charges stem from an incident on March 16, 2024, when 42-year-old Michael Caprigno of North Reading nearly hit a Chelmsford officer's cruiser head-on in Chelmsford Center.
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That patrol officer stopped Caprigno, noting signs of intoxication, prosecutors said.
"Once the officers decided to place him under arrest, Caprigno allegedly became hostile and informed officers that he was employed by the Suffolk County Sheriff," the district attorney's office said in a press release. "He told the officers that they would regret it if they arrested him."
The officer brought Caprigno back to the station. According to prosecutors, Caprigno again made reference to his employment with the sheriff's office, and Goode subsequently instructed the officer to issue a marked lanes citation and take no further steps related to the arrest.
Caprigno was not booked during the encounter. 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, prosecutors said.
Chelmsford Police Chief Colin Spence says the department retained an outside investigator, Matthews & Matthews LLC of Boston, to investigate "potential violations of policies and procedures by Lt. Frank Goode" of which authorities were made aware in early December.
Goode was placed on paid administrative leave on Dec. 3, Spence said, and the Massachusetts POST Commission was notified.
Spence did not give further details about the allegations that prompted the initial investigation, but said he was informed on Dec. 9 that the firm had "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," Spence said in a statement after Goode's indictment. "The Middlesex DA then began its own investigation. The Chelmsford Police Department has been fully cooperative with that investigation."
"Employment as a member of law enforcement does not include being allowed to escape responsibility for breaking the law as a professional courtesy," Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said. "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."
