A former Massachusetts deputy police chief has been indicted Monday on child rape charges stemming from repeated alleged assaults against a 15-year-old victim while he was assigned as a school resource officer, prosecutors say.
John Porter, the 54-year-old former Hopkinton Deputy Chief of Police, is now facing three counts of Rape of a Child after being indicted by a grand jury, according to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
"The incidents allegedly occurred during 2004 and 2005 while the victim was a 15-year-old student," the DA’s office said Monday, describing how Porter had worked in the Town of Hopkinton school system. "During that time the defendant allegedly assaulted the victim on multiple occasions off school property."
The Hopkinton Police Department, which is located between Worcester and Boston, declined comment to Fox News Digital when asked about the matter.
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As of Friday, Porter was let go of his position in the department, the attorney’s office said. No arraignment date has been set yet.
Porter previously was placed on administrative leave last August, with no reason given at the time, according to the Metrowest Daily News.
"As there is an active ongoing investigation, no additional information can be released at this time," the newspaper had quoted police as saying.
The month before, the Hopkinton Police Department honored Porter for 30 years of service, adding his name to a "plaque in recognition of the milestone," police said in a blog posting on the department’s website.
"We were thrilled to recognize Deputy Chief Porter’s years of service... and all he has achieved during his 30 years with the department," said Chief Joseph Bannett. "He has shown a true commitment to bettering this department and serving the Hopkinton community, and we are fortunate to have him as a member of the Hopkinton Police command staff."
The department said Porter joined its ranks in 1992 "serving as a patrol officer, detective, sergeant and lieutenant before being appointed deputy chief in October 2021.
"He was also the department’s first school resource officer and built the foundation for the program as it is today," according to the post.
"He is also the only member of the department to receive the Medal of Valor, which recognized his work taking into custody an apparently suicidal person armed with a knife who had doused a home with gasoline and attempted to light it on fire," police also said, adding that Porter has "been selected as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Officer of the Year four times."
