Woman allegedly sexually assaulted at State Police barracks on Martha’s Vineyard, police say

Authorities are investigating an alleged sexual assault at a Massachusetts State Police barracks on Martha’s Vineyard, police said. 

The incident occurred in late August after the Oak Bluffs Police Department received a report of a “woman in distress,” Police Chief Jonathan Searle said in a statement. 

Searle said investigators later determined the report involved an alleged sexual assault at the State Police barracks on Oak Bluffs, a town on the northeast shore of the island. 

“The Oak Bluffs Police Department is a separate and independent law enforcement agency from the Massachusetts State Police and, from the beginning, has conducted this investigation independently and in accordance with the Department’s established policies and procedures,” Searle said. 

He said MSP has “no involvement” in the Oak Bluffs Police Department’s investigation, and MSP headquarters “has cooperated” with the investigation.  

State Police were notified last month of an alleged sexual assault “involving two people not affiliated with the department,” an MSP spokesperson said in a statement. 

According to State Police, the allegation stemmed from an incident involving a person who was visiting a trooper assigned to the island for the summer. 

The department has opened an internal affairs investigation, which MSP said will closely follow the outcome of the criminal investigation. 

“We are fully cooperating with the local police’s investigation into the matter and remain committed to pursuing justice in every sexual assault case,” an MSP spokesperson said. 

The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office has also been notified of the investigation and its findings, Searle said. 

Oak Bluffs police have executed search warrants at the barracks, according to Searle.  

“The Oak Bluffs Police Department takes allegations of sexual assault extremely seriously,” he said. “Our investigators have followed the facts and evidence in this case, and we will continue to conduct this investigation thoroughly and independently.”