A former Stoughton Water Department worker got cuffed for allegedly sabotaging the town's drinking supply, the feds said. Robert J. Bullock, Sr., stands accused of shutting down a key chlorination pump, putting locals at risk with potentially unclean water, authorities charged.
Bullock, 58, of Brockton, was hit by a federal grand jury in Boston with two counts of lying to the feds and one count of water system tampering. According to the Justice Department statement, the incident in question dates back to Nov. 29, 2022, when Bullock allegedly fiddled with the water plant gear to stop chlorination. The act introduced insufficiently disinfected H2O into home taps, the indictment alleges.
In an appearance in federal court, Bullock's liberty was narrowly maintained, albeit under specific conditions set by the magistrate. If convicted, he's looking at some serious time—up to 20 years for tampering and a five-year cap for the false statement charges. Not to mention the possibility of getting slapped with hefty fines that could reach a quarter of a million bucks.
Investigators from the FBI and the EPA, along with local law enforcement, knitted together the case against Bullock. "Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Stoughton and Brockton Police Departments," read the official announcement. It is alleged that Bullock further dug himself into a hole when questioned by federal investigators, making statements about his supposed non-involvement that just didn't hold water.
However, it's important to remember that these charges are merely accusations at this stage. Bullock is presumed innocent, as our justice system maintains, until if and when he's proven guilty in the judicial ring. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Tolkoff is on deck to prosecute the case out of the Criminal Division.
