Canton releases texts with ‘horrific' language from ex-sergeant in Karen Read case

The town of Canton, Massachusetts, has shared text messages sent by a former police sergeant who testified in the high-profile Karen Read murder trial and resigned this month amid an internal affairs investigation into allegations of misconduct.

The investigation into alleged messages from former Sgt. Sean Goode found “several serious rules and policy violations,” according to the final report, which the town shared upon receiving it Monday. Language in the messages is “horrific,” the town said.

“The investigation documents a disturbing pattern of discriminatory, offensive, bigoted and hateful conduct that is fundamentally incompatible with the values of the Town of Canton and the standards expected of every police officer. Based on these findings, it is the opinion of the Town of Canton that this individual’s conduct warrants permanent disqualification from the honor of serving as a police officer in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or anywhere else,” the statement from Canton said.

Read Canton’s full statement and redacted report, which includes foul, discriminatory language, here.

The report, compiled by a former chief of police for Fairhaven, notes that Goode sent texts “showing bias against several races and ethnicities;” that were antisemitic, homophobic, ableist, sexist and misogynistic; and which revealed sensitive police information, like where police would be conducting a sobriety checkpoint.

“The people of Canton deserve better,” the town said, noting that Canton police are working to rebuild trust with the community, which should be able to expect that its first responders “will treat them fairly and with respect and dignity — full stop.”

NBC10 Boston reached out to a union that represents Canton police for comment but hasn’t received a comment.

Goode has already been suspended by the Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, Commission, which certified law enforcement officers in Massachusetts. Derogatory text messages that Goode allegedly sent were included in a civil lawsuit filed by Read against Canton police and Massachusetts State Police.

Without a POST Commission certification, Goode can’t serve as a law enforcement official in Massachusetts. The body could vote to decertify Goode entirely — he has a right to a hearing before the commission.

Goode resigned after he’d refused to appear for an internal affairs interview and faced potential termination, the town said this month. The report released Monday concludes that, with his resignation, police need to take no further action besides referring the findings to the POST Commission, which the town said it would do immediately.

The Canton Police Department came under intense scrutiny as the Karen Read murder case unfolded in court. Goode testified at trial; Read was ultimately found not guilty of murder following her second trial.

This month, Read released a slew of prejudiced text messages allegedly sent by Goode and lead case investigator Michael Proctor as part of a civil lawsuit alleging there was a “culture of bias and corruption” among the officers who investigated her.

A lawyer for Proctor said in response to the lawsuit that it was undisputed that the former trooper’s personal life “had no bearing whatsoever on the investigation of Karen Read.”

Proctor’s texts have sparked calls to review cases he investigated.

An independent audit of the Canton Police Department commissioned amid the backlash over how it handled the investigation into O’Keefe’s death and the Sandra Birchmore case was released last spring.

The company hired to conduct the audit found there were mistakes made the day O’Keefe’s body was found, including evidence collection. It determined that O’Keefe’s body should have been photographed before it was removed from the scene, personal cellphones should not have been used, and officers should have remained on site until a secondary search for evidence took place later in the day.

But the audit also said that there was no reason for residents to be worried about the integrity of the police department.