Copyright Boston.com
Sgt. Sean Goode was immediately placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal probe, town officials said. A Canton police sergeant who worked the initial investigation in the Karen Read murder case has been placed on leave amid an internal affairs investigation into allegations of misconduct. Sgt. Sean Goode was immediately placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of that internal probe, the town and interim Police Chief Joseph Perkins said Monday. Canton officials said they were notified on Oct. 24 of the misconduct allegations, which were “discovered during an investigation into a former member of a different law enforcement agency.” The town’s statement did not offer specifics, nor did it say whether the alleged misconduct is linked to Read’s high-profile case. “Immediately after becoming aware of the allegations, the Town engaged an independent investigator to conduct a thorough administrative investigation into the allegations of misconduct,” officials said. The investigation is active and ongoing, they added. In an earlier statement, town officials said they take all allegations of misconduct seriously. “Members of the Town’s Police Department are expected to perform their duties in a professional manner,” they said. “The Town is committed to providing the quality and level of service that the citizens of Canton deserve from their Police Department. To that end, we will take the necessary steps to ensure that actions by individual officers do not jeopardize that quality and level of service.” Goode was among the initial wave of police who responded to the scene where Read’s boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, was found unresponsive in the snow on Jan. 29, 2022. Prosecutors alleged Read drunkenly backed her SUV into O’Keefe while dropping him off at a house party on Fairview Road, but Read’s lawyers contended O’Keefe was fatally injured inside the house. Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial, and a jury acquitted her of murder and manslaughter charges following a retrial this spring. In the end, she was convicted only of a drunk driving misdemeanor. Testifying during the 2024 trial, Goode said officers spoke with 34 Fairview Road homeowners Brian and Nicole Albert the morning of the 29th and noted the couple seemed “like they were generally in shock.” The home’s interior “seemed like a normal house,” he added. Goode told jurors police used crime scene tape to secure the area while investigators were on site, though they didn’t post an officer there to guard the scene after officials left — a decision flagged during a later audit of the Canton Police Department. The audit also expressed concerns about how Canton police handled evidence collection and witness interviews early on in the investigation. Under cross-examination during Read’s first trial, Goode acknowledged he worked with Brian Albert’s brother Kevin, a Canton detective, for nearly two decades. He also confirmed he went to high school with the sister-in-law of another Albert brother, Chris, as well as the sister of former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor, who led the investigation into O’Keefe’s death. State Police fired Proctor earlier this year over his conduct during the Read case, particularly his vulgar texts about the defendant. In messages to friends, family, and coworkers, Proctor made crass remarks about Read’s health and appearance, joked about looking for nude photos on her cellphone, and said he hoped she’d kill herself. The same day Canton officials learned of Goode’s alleged misconduct, Norfolk County prosecutors disclosed that further review of Proctor’s personal phone data revealed “images of intimate body parts” and other “highly sensitive” information.
