Suspended Woburn Cop’s Cases Under Review By Middlesex DA

WOBURN, MA — The Middlesex County District Attorney’s office has launched a review of pending or closed cases involving suspended Woburn Police officer John Donnelly, District Attorney Marian Ryan announced on Friday.

The move came a day after Woburn Police Chief Robert Rufo Jr. and Mayor Scott Galvin announced that police had put Donnelly on paid administrative leave over allegations that he participated in and helped plan the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.

“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 her statement.

READ: Woburn Police Put Officer On Leave, Launch Investigation

Donnelly had been a reserve officer for the Woburn Police in 2017, according to Rufo and Galvin.

Ryan said her office will be issuing a discovery notice to defense counsel in all cases linked to Donnelly as it moves forward with its review of cases.

The Woburn Police are simultaneously conducting their own internal investigation, according to Rufo’s announcement with Galvin.

Galvin on Thursday said he would move to fire Donnelly if allegations prove true.

Rufo added that police would ask the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission to decertify Donnelly, depending on the result of the department’s investigation, effectively barring Donnelly from getting other law enforcement jobs in Massachusetts.

Ryan called allegations against Donnelly "disturbing." She added on Friday that her office will convene an emergency meeting of its anti-hate, anti-bias task force next week to discuss the situation.

The Charlottesville rally left one person dead after a car rammed into a crowd of counterprotestors. Two state troopers also died in a helicopter crash during the two-day incident.

Dozens were injured in clashes between white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups and counterprotestors who met them in Charlottesville.

Initial plans for the rally came in response to efforts to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Woburn announced Donnelly’s suspension and their investigation into him early Thursday afternoon.

HuffPost published a lengthy report later in the day probing Donnelly’s background and connections to the Charlottesville rally.

Reporter Christopher Mathias said HuffPost contacted Woburn Police about allegations against Donnelly shortly before they announced his suspension.