April 18, 2007
Trooper rapist gets 8 to 10 years; Veteran state cop also given 5 years’ probation after 2006 crime
By DENNIS TATZ, The Patriot Ledger
A veteran state trooper from Holbrook has been ordered to serve 8 to 10 years in
prison for raping a woman in Cambridge last year.
Middlesex Superior Court Judge Herman Smith sentenced Daniel Grant yesterday.
Grant, 43, who will be on probation for five years after he gets out of prison,
was convicted last Friday of three counts of rape. An appeal of the conviction
is planned.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Dunigan had recommended a sentence of 12 to 15 years for
Grant, who is married and the father of three children.
In arguing for a lesser sentence of 3 to 6 years, defense attorney George
Hassett of Quincy gave the judge 50 letters supporting Grant from family,
friends and fellow parishioners at St. Joseph’s Church in Holbrook.
‘‘I think the letters made a difference,’’ Hassett said in a telephone interview
following sentencing yesterday.
There was neither physical nor forensic evidence to link Grant to the crime, his
attorney said.
Middlesex County District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. praised the victim for
reporting the rape to authorities.
‘‘The victim in this case went through a deeply traumatic experience, and she
deserves great credit for bravely coming forward and recounting this incident to
the jurors,’’ he said.
‘‘Daniel Grant abused his position of authority to prey upon a vulnerable victim
and he has brought dishonor to himself and the uniform he was privileged to
wear,’’
There was neither physical nor forensic evidence to link Grant to the crime, his
attorney said. Grant did not testify at his trial.
Authorities said Grant was on duty and in uniform at about 11:15 p.m. on Jan.
20, 2006, when he approached a 26-year-old woman and a man sitting in a parked
car. The trooper allegedly offered the man a small amount of cash and told him
to leave, then told the woman to follow him in her car.
Grant told the
woman he was doing her a favor for not arresting her. He then noticed that she
had a baby seat in the back of the car and said that he could make life very
difficult for her family, according to testimony in the case.
After removing what appeared to be a small bag of cocaine from his pocket, the
trooper reportedly told the woman the drugs could ‘‘very easily’’ be hers, and
asked if she would ‘‘like to spend some time in Framingham.’’ There is a women’s
prison in Framingham.
After parking their cars at a nearby former MDC building, Grant and the woman
went inside and he raped her repeatedly. When it was over, Grant reportedly told
her that ‘‘she did the right thing.’’
The woman reported the rape a short time later to relatives and Stoneham police.
State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Cambridge
police investigated the incident.
Grant, a 17-year veteran of the department, was suspended without pay at the
time. A grand jury later indicted him on the rape charges.
State Police Superintendent Mark F. Delaney said yesterday that Grant’s criminal
actions had brought him disgrace and dishonor.
‘‘His actions are not reflective of the excellence and tradition of the
Massachusetts State Police and the men and women who serve this proud department
with honor and distinction,’’ Delaney said.
Dennis Tatz may be reached at
dtatz@ledger.com
.
April 15, 2007
On-Duty State Trooper Convicted Of Rape Jury Delivers Guilty Verdict On Three CountsBOSTON -- A Massachusetts State Police officer was convicted on Friday of three counts of rape while he was on duty in Cambridge last year, the Middlesex District Attorney's office said.
Prosecutors said Daniel Grant, 42, of Holbrook, threatened to plant drugs on a 26-year-old woman unless she complied with his demands for sex in the Jan. 20, 2006, incident. He had denied the charges. Authorities said Grant, in uniform with a gun and a badge, approached a parked car in which the woman and a man were sitting. Grant ran a check on the car's license plate and a criminal check on the man, who he discovered had an outstanding arrest warrant and criminal cases pending in court.
He offered the man a small amount of cash and told him to leave, prosecutors said, and told the woman she was with a "bad guy" and that he did her a favor.
Grant showed her a bag that appeared to contain cocaine, prosecutors said, and told her: "This could very easily be yours." He then allegedly asked her if she wanted to spend time in the state's prison for women.
Grant told the woman to follow him in her car, prosecutors said, and led her to a state-owned building in Cambridge, where he sexually assaulted her three times.
Grant is to be sentenced on Tuesday. He was suspended without pay after the charges were filed against him last year.
March 31, 2006
Trooper indicted in rape case
THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMBRIDGE— A state police trooper was indicted yesterday on charges he
repeatedly sexually assaulted a woman in a state-owned building while he was on
duty.
Daniel Grant, 42, of Holbrook, a 17-year veteran trooper, is charged with three
counts of rape.
Authorities say Trooper Grant, while on duty in Cambridge on Jan. 20, approached
a parked car. A 26-year-old woman and another man were in the car. Trooper Grant
allegedly offered the man a small amount of cash and told him to leave, then
told the woman to follow him in her car.
In his
cruiser, he led the woman to a state-owned building in Cambridge, where he
repeatedly sexually assaulted her, according to the indictment.
Trooper Grant, through his lawyer, Timothy Burke, denied the charges.
“It’s important to point out the grand jury, the first time this case was
presented, voted not to charge him,” Mr. Burke said.
The Middlesex district attorney’s office refused to disclose further information
before Trooper Grant’s arraignment, scheduled for April 7 in superior court.
Trooper Grant was suspended from his job.
“The department is aware of the indictment and the seriousness of the alleged
complaint made against Trooper Grant,” State Police spokeswoman Lt. Sharon
Costine said, reading from a prepared statement. “The department has cooperated
fully with the Middlesex district attorney’s office and will continue to do so
as the judicial process continues.”
March 4, 2006
Trooper Suspended without pay
Suzanne Smalley and John Ellement, GLOBE STAFF
A 17-year veteran of the State Police faces a criminal investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and has been suspended with pay, as the Middlesex district attorney's office probes the allegations.
State Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Sharon Costine would not confirm the nature of the allegations against Trooper Daniel Grant, who is assigned to the Boston barracks. But a law enforcement official told the Globe yesterday that the allegations involve alleged sexual misconduct by the trooper while on the job.
Grant, who could not be reached, was suspended Jan. 31. He had been assigned to the Boston barracks of the State Police at 250 Leverett Circle. Costine said three State Police officials reviewed the complaint made against Grant and decided he should be temporarily removed from duty.
Timothy M. Burke, the lawyer for the State Police Association of
Massachusetts, said his client will fight any charges brought
against him. ``I think it is in the preliminary stage of the
investigation, and obviously we intend to vigorously defend any
charges that might come as a result of this investigation," he said.
Burke said prosecutors have not provided him with any detailed
account of the allegations that have been made against the trooper.
He said that Grant has not been the subject of prior allegations
that required legal representation or generated a criminal
investigation.
Emily LaGrassa, spokeswoman for Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, said yesterday she could not comment.
The State Police are already reeling from the disclosure last weekend that Sergeant Brian O'Hare, a respected 19-year veteran of the force, had been arrested by the FBI on charges of arranging to have sex with an agent whom he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. O'Hare allegedly sent the agent a photo of himself in his underwear and arranged a meeting at the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford. He was arrested when he arrived in the mall's parking lot, officials said. Burke said he hopes the investigation into Grant is completed quickly. ``Obviously, it serves everybody's interest to have this resolved as expeditiously as possible," he said. Burke said Grant is also eager for the investigation to be completed. ``Like anybody under these circumstances, he'd like to have the matter resolved as quickly as possible," Burke said.
Memo: Sean Murphy of the Globe staff contributed to this report.