Two State Troopers Suspended With Pay in Martha's Vineyard Rape Investigation; Healey Calls Move 'Appropriate'

The Massachusetts State Police on Thursday suspended two troopers with pay in connection with an investigation into an alleged rape in August at temporary trooper housing in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, the agency said, according to Boston.com, WBZ-TV and NBC10 Boston.

The troopers are Ryan Costello and Robert Branca. A State Police spokesperson said the incident remains the subject of a criminal investigation and an internal affairs investigation, according to WBZ-TV. State Police did not explain Branca's connection to the incident, Boston.com reported, and WHDH-TV reported that investigators had not said how either trooper is connected to the alleged assault.

Gov. Maura Healey called the suspensions "appropriate" on Friday and commended Col. Geoffrey Noble, who leads the State Police, for taking "swift and immediate action," according to WBZ-TV.

"The allegations in this case about what happened to this victim are horrific and I'm really upset about it," Healey said, the station reported. "All of our state troopers are held to the highest level of professionalism and if there are failures, they will be held accountable." She added, "I have absolutely zero patience for any kind of wrongdoing when it comes to the state police."

The man charged in the case, Edward J. Brown, 27, a Boston Public Schools security employee, was arrested last week on a rape charge, Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle said, according to NBC10 Boston. Brown was arraigned in Edgartown District Court, where he pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on $10,000 bail, the station reported. He posted bail, was ordered not to have contact with witnesses and is due back in court Dec. 3.

Brown's attorney, Anthony Ellison, said his client maintains his innocence, according to NBC10 Boston. At arraignment, his defense attorney told the judge he is presumed innocent, WBZ-TV reported, and the station said that in the police affidavit the alleged victim said she did not want to pursue charges. Brown, who has worked for Boston Public Schools for two years, has been placed on administrative leave, according to WBZ-TV.

Prosecutors have said Brown was visiting Costello, his college friend, on Aug. 14 and 15, Boston.com reported. State Police had assigned Costello to Martha's Vineyard for the summer. According to the State Police, the alleged assault took place in temporary housing available to a small number of troopers assigned to the island for the summer season, in a structure separate from the barracks on Temahigan Avenue, NBC10 Boston reported.

Prosecutors allege the woman was found along a road near the barracks around 1 a.m. on Aug. 15, according to NBC10 Boston. A passing motorist found her and she was taken to Martha's Vineyard Hospital, where she told police she had been raped by Brown at the housing, according to WBZ-TV and NBC10 Boston. Investigators learned she had been out with friends at an establishment that night, NBC10 Boston reported.

At Brown's Oct. 13 arraignment, prosecutors described how investigators identified him, Boston.com reported. On Aug. 21, a bouncer at The Ritz, a bar in Oak Bluffs, contacted local police about a photo showing Brown from earlier in the summer. The bouncer did not know Brown's name but knew he was friends with state troopers, prosecutors said. Investigators texted Costello the photo on Aug. 29, and he identified Brown as his college friend visiting from Boston, according to prosecutors.

In a phone call later that day, Costello told police that Brown had stayed with him Aug. 14 and 15 and that the two had gone to The Ritz together, and that at one point that night he was not with Brown, prosecutors said, according to Boston.com. On Sept. 11, Costello's attorney gave investigators screenshots of messages between the two men from the night of the alleged rape and the following day, which prosecutors said investigators had not previously seen.

According to prosecutors, Brown texted Costello, "I'm at the barracks with this chick, is that OK?" and Costello replied, "Okay," NBC10 Boston reported. In a Sept. 26 interview with investigators from the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office, Costello said he returned to the housing between about 1:30 and 2 a.m. and found Brown alone and unusually quiet, prosecutors said, according to Boston.com. Prosecutors said Brown later gave Costello differing accounts of what had happened.

After the incident, Noble banned overnight guests at the temporary housing units used by troopers during seasonal assignments on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, according to the outlets. He also directed the agency to develop a written policy requiring the barracks commander's prior written approval for visitors to enter nonpublic areas of State Police property, where visitors must be accompanied at all times.

"These allegations are deeply troubling," Noble said in a statement. "The Massachusetts State Police are fully cooperating with the ongoing criminal investigation and conducting an internal review of applicable policies, visitor authorization procedures and compliance with established requirements. I am committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety, security and accountability at all State Police facilities and ensuring that any identified deficiencies are addressed with appropriate corrective action."

Neither trooper has been charged with a crime. Sources told WBZ-TV's I-Team that investigators have seized cellphones. State Police said they will continue to monitor developments as the criminal and internal affairs investigations proceed, NBC10 Boston reported.