An off-duty police officer from Rhode Island has been arrested following an incident at a Kenny Chesney concert at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, where he is alleged to have urinated on a woman. Shane Lynch, a 30-year-old officer with the Cranston Police Department, faced charges of disorderly conduct and wanton destruction of property after the episode in the concert's "sandpit" area, according to Boston.com.
The woman involved in the incident reported feeling something wet hitting her legs and upon turning, she discovered Lynch with his fly down. "I did?" Lynch allegedly replied when she asked if he had just urinated on her, as reported by Boston.com. According to police reports, the officer appeared to be "extremely intoxicated" at the time of the incident and was found swaying with a Bud Light can in hand.
Lynch, alongside several others arrested over the weekend for disorderly conduct at the stadium, had his charges dismissed after agreeing to pay $100 in court costs, as indicated by online court records. The dismissal of charges under these circumstances is not uncommon, as per Boston.com. The victim's leather boots, valued at $180 and purchased specifically for the concert, were said to be "ruined" according to her account in the police report.
Following the arrest, Col. Michael J. Winquist, Cranston's police chief, indicated that an "administrative investigation" was initiated and emphasized the department's high standards for officers' conduct regardless of duty status. "All Cranston police officers recognize they are held to a higher standard and are required to act professionally both on and off-duty," Winquist stated, an assertion echoed in a statement obtained by Boston 25 News. Lynch has also been issued a trespass order for Gillette Stadium as a result of his actions, as noted by WHDH.
