Hopkinton Cop Fired Over Rape Reporting Tied To Porter Allegations

HOPKINTON, MA — The select board fired a 22-year Hopkinton police officer who is accused of violated department policy by failing to report allegations that former Hopkinton Deputy Police Chief John Porter sexually assaulted a teenager in the mid-2000s.

Sgt. Tim Brennan was suspended after Chief Joseph Bennett said Brennan broke department policy by failing to report the assault allegations made against Porter. Porter, who served as a school resource officer, was charged in May in the rape of a 15-year-old student. He had been on leave since 2022.

Brennan has said the victim told him about sexual assaults in 2017, more than a decade after they occurred, but never formally reported the allegations. Brennan argued that he did his duty by listening to the victim — and urging her to report the crime. Bennett said Brennan should've reported it himself.

The select board held a hearing in January to discuss firing Brennan, but the board suspended the meeting without reaching a decision.

"After the Select Board paused the meeting on Jan. 19, the Town of Hopkinton and counsel for the labor union had attempted to resolve the matter in a mutually acceptable manner. Those discussions were unsuccessful, resulting in Thursday's vote," the board said in a brief news release Thursday.

Brennan's firing will be effective as of Feb. 12, according to the town.