Town officials in Canton said they learned of “allegations of misconduct” before deciding to place Sgt. Sean Goode on administrative leave.

Goode, who testified during the first Karen Read trial but not the second, was put on leave on Oct. 24. Town officials said the allegations of misconduct were uncovered during an investigation into a former member of a different law enforcement agency.

During the first Read trial, he testified about being the sergeant in charge of the patrolmen on the overnight shift of Jan. 28, 2022, into Jan. 29, 2022 — the night John O’Keefe died.

While working the dispatch for the Canton Police Department that shift, he answered a call from Kerry Roberts, a friend of O’Keefe, asking whether police had “locked up” or transported a man that night.

The call came in shortly before 5 a.m., and Roberts and Read were trying to locate O’Keefe at the time.

Then, at about 6:04 a.m., another 911 call, this one placed by Jennifer McCabe, who told Goode about “a man passed out in the snow” — a reference to the three women finding O’Keefe in the lawn at 34 Fairview Road, the home of her brother-in-law and former Boston police officer, Brian Albert. McCabe was also a friend of O’Keefe, who joined Read in the search for O’Keefe that morning.

Although Goode did not testify during the second trial this year that led to Read’s acquittal of second-degree murder, below is a recap of what he said during the first trial in 2024 that led to a mistrial:

What Goode did after 911 call

Goode testified that he dispatched Canton police cruisers to 34 Fairview Road and that he told a cruiser to pick him up so that he could get to the scene himself.

He also notified now-retired Lt. Paul Gallagher and Det. Sgt. Michael Lank due to the “seriousness” of the call.

When he arrived, an ambulance was already at the scene along with two police cruisers.

How he described Karen Read

At the scene, Goode spoke with one of his officers, and the first person he got a statement from was McCabe.

“It was a chaotic scene,” Goode said. “People just kind of walking in and out. So Ms. McCabe was the first one that was able to give me a good statement of how they ended up here.”

The wind was howling due to the snowstorm, Goode said, and he said he needed to speak very loudly and stand next to people to hear them.

He next spoke with Read after bringing her to his cruiser and putting her in the back of the vehicle with the heat on.

Goode described her demeanor as “confused, hysterical, shock.”

“She was yelling out, ‘Is he dead?’” Goode testified. She said it numerous times while yelling, he said.

During cross-examination, Goode said he never heard Read say, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him.”

That statement became highly contested in both trials, with defense attorneys arguing she never said it and prosecutors making it a central part of their case.

Goode grabs his leaf blower

Goode lived near 34 Fairview Road, and he testified that he drove home about five minutes away and retrieved his leaf blower.

Gallagher, the Canton police lieutenant, used the leaf blower on the front lawn covered with snow while Goode recorded video and took pictures with his iPhone.

The leaf blower uncovered frozen blood and a small, broken drinking glass, Goode said.

The nearly 40-minute search that first day, however, did not turn up any evidence of broken pieces of taillight, O’Keefe’s hat, or his shoe, which were later recovered by Massachusetts State Police.

Personal connections

Goode said that he graduated from Canton High School in 1998 and that he knew Courtney Proctor from his graduating class. She is the sister of Michael Proctor, the fired trooper from the Massachusetts State Police who led the Read investigation.

Goode said he knew members of the Albert family. Kevin Albert worked as a fellow Canton police officer and they hung out socially. He said he had known him for the 18 years he’s worked as a police officer in town.

Goode said he did not remember seeing Kevin Albert the morning that O’Keefe died, nor speaking with him.

He said he knew Brian Albert before the events on Jan. 28 and 29, 2022.

The sergeant said he also knew Chris Albert as a select board member for Canton who owns a pizza shop in town.

Kevin Albert was also placed on administrative leave last year

Kevin Albert was placed on paid administrative leave by the Canton Police Department from June to September last year for disciplinary reasons related to his conduct on a case unrelated to Read’s, but discussed at her trial.

Proctor testified at the first trial that he and Kevin Albert had conducted a cold case investigation together. The men went out drinking together in June 2022.

The next day, Proctor found Kevin Albert’s badge in his cruiser. Albert sent Proctor text messages saying he was hungover that same day.

Few details released on Goode’s current status

The same day Goode was placed on leave, Norfolk County prosecutors revealed they found “highly sensitive information” during a search of former trooper Proctor’s phone.

During her two trials, Read and her defense team claimed Canton Police were part of a widespread conspiracy to frame her. In the months since, residents have voiced frustration with town leaders and police officials at numerous public meetings.

Officials confirmed an officer had been placed on leave earlier Monday morning, but did not originally release his name.

“Members of the Town’s Police Department are expected to perform their duties in a professional manner,” a statement from Town Administrator Charles E. Doody reads. “We will take the necessary steps to ensure that actions by individual officers do not jeopardize that quality and level of service.”

“The Town of Canton and the Canton Police Department take this matter very seriously,” Doody said.

The investigation into O’Keefe’s death and the subsequent prosecution of Read rocked the town of Canton.

In June, less than a week after Read’s acquittal, the town appointed Joseph Perkins, a former police chief in Middleborough, as its interim chief following the retirement of Helena Rafferty.

An audit of the department last year faulted police for missteps in the Read investigation, but ultimately found no evidence of a conspiracy.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.