Woburn

DA Reviewing All Cases Involving Woburn Cop Suspected of White Nationalist Ties

Officer John Donnelly is under investigation after the Woburn Police Department learned he participated in "and was active in the planning of" the August 2017 "Unite the Right" rally

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After a Woburn police officer was placed on leave for allegedly helping to plan a white nationalist rally that erupted in deadly violence in 2017, prosecutors are reviewing every case the officer was involved in.

Calling the allegations "deeply disturbing," the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan also on Friday announced that its anti-hate and anti-bias task force will hold an emergency meeting on the matter next week.

"We are acutely aware of the way in which these allegations tear at the fabric of trust which exists between communities and the police departments which serve them," Ryan said in a statement.

Officer John Donnelly is on paid leave and under investigation after Woburn's mayor and police chief learned he participated in "and was active in the planning of" the August 2017 "Unite the Right" rally, in which members of white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups carried weapons and chanted racist and antisemitic slogans. A woman was killed when a white nationalist drove into a crowd, injuring about 20 more people.

On the third anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., during which protester Heather Heyer was killed, a new Investigation Discovery special is giving survivors a voice to talk about how the incident has continued to affect them. Pamela Deutsch, the producer of "Impact of Hate: Charlottesville" joined LX News to discuss the special.

Lawyers for people accused in the cases Donnelly worked on are being notified of the review now being conducted by the district attorney's office of all cases Donnelly has worked on at Woburn Police Department, prosecutors said.

Donnelly was a reserve officer at the time of his alleged participation in the Charlottesville rally and became a full-time officer in August 2019. He will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation into "allegations of inappropriate conduct," Mayor Scott Galvin and Police Chief Robert Rufo said in a statement Thursday.

Donnelly, who is also a realtor in Woburn, hasn't responded to requests for comment from NBC10 Boston.

A Massachusetts police officer has been placed on leave after allegations surfaced that he participated in and helped plan the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally.

Rufo said he placed Donnelly on leave and ordered the review as soon as he learned of the officer's alleged role in the rally Wednesday afternoon.

“What was said and done in Charlottesville is in direct opposition to the core values of the Woburn Police Department, to serve all members of our community equally and treat them with dignity and respect,” Rufo said in a statement. “Should this allegation be sustained, the Woburn Police Department will ask Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to decertify Officer Donnelly, ensuring he may no longer serve in law enforcement in Massachusetts.”

Galvin said the city was taking the allegations seriously and that he would "move to terminate Officer Donnelly if the investigation concludes that the allegations are accurate.”

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