Massachusetts police officer accused of planning and participating in “Unite the Right” rally has resigned

A Massachusetts police officer accused of planning and participating in a troubling rally has resigned from his position as patrol officer and is no longer employed by the police force he was working for.

According to Mayor Scott Galvin and Chief Robert Rufo Jr., John Donnelly submitted a letter of resignation to Chief Rufo on Monday, effective at 5 p.m.

Donnelly was placed on leave and an internal affairs investigation was initiated after serious allegations were brought to the Woburn Police Department indicating that Donnelly attended and was active in the planning of the so-called “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017. Participants included members of white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups and the Ku Klux Klan, some of whom carried weapons and chanted racist and antisemitic slogans.

In the 2017 incident, a person was killed when a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi rammed his car into a crowd of counter protesters. The driver, James Fields Jr., was sentenced in 2019 to life in prison.

Upon learning about the Donnelly’s alleged role in the rally, Chief Rufo placed him on leave and ordered an internal affairs review. The internal affairs investigation will continue after Donnelly’s resignation, and Chief Rufo will report the findings of the investigation to Mayor Galvin and the state Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission

“A thorough finding of fact is necessary in this situation, and our investigation shall continue,” Chief Rufo said. “For decades, police chiefs across the commonwealth have called for a statewide certification process to ensure that allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated, and bad actors are held accountable. That will be our focus moving forward. The men and women of the Woburn Police Department are united in disavowing hate in all its forms.”
“There is no place for hate in Woburn or in the ranks of the Woburn Police Department,” Mayor Galvin said. The City of Woburn stands together in its opposition to hate and violence, and we will emerge stronger as a community.”

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced last week that all pending and closed cases involving Donnelly will be thoroughly reviewed.