Massachusetts State Police Trooper Joseph Franklin held a contractor’s Bobcat excavator in his garage — not because a court told him he could, but because he believed he was owed money. That decision, made on the advice of his attorney and with no legal instrument to back it up, has now cost him his badge and put him on a path toward a potential decade in state prison, according to the Boston Globe.
Franklin, 26, was arraigned July 17 in Palmer District Court on two felony charges: larceny over $1,200 and intimidation of a witness, juror, police officer, or court official. He pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance. His next court appearance is scheduled for August 6 in Palmer.
The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission — known as POST — issued a suspension order on July 23 stripping Franklin of his law enforcement certification. The order requires him to surrender his badge, firearm, credentials, and all other law enforcement equipment. The State Police had already suspended Franklin with pay on July 9 after he became the subject of a criminal investigation, according to department spokesperson Sarah Burgess.
From Tree Work to Two Felonies
Earlier this year, Franklin hired a landscaping contractor to perform cleanup and tree work at his Palmer property, according to a Palmer Police Department incident report detailed in the Boston Globe. Franklin told investigators he paid approximately $11,000 for the work but believed it had never been completed satisfactorily, and said he was pursuing a civil lawsuit over the matter…