An Avon police dispatcher is off the job amid allegations they inappropriately used law enforcement databases to look up people connected to the ongoing Karen Read murder case.
The dispatcher, whose name was not released, will be on paid administrative leave pending the result of the Avon police’s internal investigation and Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office investigation by a special prosecutor.
Aidan Kearney, the blogger behind “Turtleboy News” appeared in Stoughton District Court Wednesday to face charges including eight counts of intimidation of a witness, juror, police, or court official and one count of conspiracy in connection with the ongoing Karen Read murder case after the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office appointed a special prosecutor Kenneth Mello, of Fall River, to investigate his alleged actions.
In addition to accusations of witness intimidation, prosecutors said Kearney had a police dispatcher look up three license plates of people connected to the Karen Read case and the wife of the MSP trooper investigating it.
Read is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe. Read is accused of backing over O’Keefe and leaving him to die in a January 2022 blizzard outside a home in Canton.
Mello said Kearney would also share personal information online -- like a state trooper’s phone number -- while saying he would never stop. Mello also said Kearney went to great lengths to harass witnesses -- often filming himself as he would try to confront them or call them at their homes, children’s sports games, or places of work.
In August, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey took the unusual step of releasing a video condemning the alleged ongoing harassment of witnesses in the case, saying it’s “absolutely baseless.”
Kearney was ultimately released on personal recognizance after the judge cited his lack of a criminal record. The judge also denied the prosecution’s request for bail and GPS monitoring.
The Avon Police Department says they will not be releasing any further information regarding the dispatcher at this time.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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