A woman claims she was sexually assaulted inside the Massachusetts State Police barracks on Martha’s Vineyard.
The incident allegedly occurred in late August when a trooper who was working on the tony island for the summer allowed a male friend to spend the night at the barracks in Oak Bluffs, sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News.
At some point in the evening, a woman was seen running from the friend into the street while half-dressed, the sources claimed.
The unidentified woman is then said to have reported to a passing motorist that she was sexually assaulted.
Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle has since confirmed that officers responded to a report from a ‘woman in distress’ about an alleged sexual assault that occurred at the State Police barracks.
‘The Oak Bluffs Police Department is a separate and independent law enforcement agency from the Massachusetts State Police and, from the beginning, has conducted this investigation independently and in accordance with the department’s established policies and procedures,’ he said in a statement.
‘The Massachusetts State Police has had no involvement in the Oak Bluffs Police Department’s investigation,’ the police chief noted.
A woman was allegedly sexually assaulted inside the Massachusetts Police Barracks in Oak Bluffs late last month
The incident reportedly occurred when a trooper who was working on Martha’s Vineyard (pictured) for the summer allowed a male friend to spend the night
As part of the investigation, Searle said, Oak Bluffs Police have received court-authorized search warrants, including for the barracks.
The police department has also been in contact with the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office about the investigation, the police chief noted.
‘The Oak Bluffs Police Department takes allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously,’ Searle said. ‘Our investigators have followed the facts and evidence in this case, and we will continue to conduct this investigation thoroughly and independently.’
In a separate statement, Massachusetts State Police noted that the two individuals involved in the alleged sexual assault are not affiliated with the department as it conducts its own internal investigation.
‘We are fully cooperating with the local police’s investigation into the matter and remain committed to pursuing justice in every sexual assault case,’ a spokesperson for the department has said.
