Charges dropped against Massachusetts trooper accused of sexual misconduct during traffic stop

Prosecutors dropped charges against former State Police trooper Terence Kent after the alleged victim refused to testify. Kent has since resigned with a dishonorable discharge.

Massachusetts trooper escapes trial after victim declines to testify

Prosecutors have dropped all charges against former Massachusetts State Police trooper Terence Kent, days before he was due to stand trial on counts of bribery and indecent assault and battery, cbsnews.com reports.

The Middlesex District Attorney's office confirmed the decision after court documents showed the alleged victim declined to testify, citing mental health issues. Kent has denied the allegations.

According to investigators, the incident took place on 24 August 2024 at around 4 p.m. Kent allegedly used his marked State Police cruiser to block a man's vehicle near Soldiers Field Road in Brighton, preventing him from leaving.

When the man asked Kent to move the cruiser, Kent allegedly told him the vehicle would be towed because his registration and insurance had expired. Kent then allegedly directed the man to meet him at a Department of Transportation property in Lexington, where he asked the man to perform a sexual act "as a favour to him" in exchange for not having the car towed.

Kent was indicted in March 2025. He had previously been suspended without pay in November 2024 following the sexual misconduct allegations. A Massachusetts State Police spokesperson told WBZ-TV on Thursday that Kent resigned from the department with a dishonorable discharge on 6 August 2025.

His disciplinary record extended further: in 2023, he received an eight-day suspension after an internal affairs investigation found he had abandoned an assigned post. He had graduated from the State Police Academy in August 2017.

Source: Irish Independent