4 State Police members relieved of duty as they face charges in recruit's death

"The Massachusetts State Police relieved four of its members of duty who will face criminal charges related to the death of a recruit in 2024. Lt. Jennifer Penton and Troopers Edwin Rodriguez, David Montanez, and Casey LaMonte were relieved of duty, according to MSP officials. Attorney General Andrea Campbell and an independent investigator announced Monday that all four face criminal charges in connection to the death of Enrique Delgado-Garcia."

"Delgado-Garcia died after sustaining injuries in "unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises," the independent investigator announced this week. He found that the four MSP officers "committed a series of wanton and reckless acts and omissions" that led to the recruit's death. Penton, Rodriguez, Montanez, and LaMonte were each charged with causing serious bodily injury to participants in a physical exercise training program and involuntary manslaughter."

"Penton, who was a supervisor at the academy, was also charged with perjury. She allegedly lied under oath when asked when she first learned about Delgado-Garcia's concussion-like symptoms. In accordance with the MSP disciplinary process, the four will be subject to duty status hearings. After their hearings, each officer could be retained on full duty, placed on restricted duty, suspended with pay, or suspended without pay."

A State Police lieutenant and three troopers were relieved of duty and face criminal charges after recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died following boxing-related sparring at the Massachusetts State Police academy in 2024. The four—Lt. Jennifer Penton and Troopers Edwin Rodriguez, David Montanez, and Casey LaMonte—were members of the academy's defensive tactics unit. An independent investigator found the sparring was unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised, and concluded the officers committed wanton, reckless acts and omissions that led to the recruit's death. Each was charged with causing serious bodily injury and involuntary manslaughter; Penton also faces a perjury charge. The officers will undergo MSP duty status hearings and face possible retention, restriction, or suspension; assignments and graduation years were noted for each.

Read at Boston.com