What started as routine tree work at a Palmer home has spiraled into criminal charges, an oversight commission ruling and a state trooper suddenly sidelined from duty.
Massachusetts State Police Trooper Joseph Franklin, 26, was arraigned July 17 in Palmer District Court on counts of larceny over $1,200 and intimidation in connection with the disappearance of a contractor’s excavator from his Palmer property. He pleaded not guilty, was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court on Aug. 6. The case has already triggered an administrative suspension from the State Police and a separate internal inquiry.
According to The Boston Globe, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission suspended Franklin's law enforcement certification after finding evidence that he "engaged or may have engaged in criminal conduct." The order requires him to surrender his badge, gun and credentials, and State Police placed him on paid leave on July 9 while investigators look into the incident.
What the commission ordered
Per the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, officers whose certifications are suspended are barred from performing police duties and can be required to turn over departmental equipment while their cases are under review. The commission’s rules also give a suspended officer the option to request a hearing to challenge the decision even as any criminal case moves through the courts.
Contractor's account and the missing Bobcat
A Palmer police report states that Franklin told officers he had hired a contractor earlier this year for cleanup and tree work, paid about $11,000 and believed the job was left unfinished, so he was pursuing a civil claim. The contractor, according to the report, told police he had given Franklin a $10,000 estimate and finished the work on April 9.
The contractor also reported that a business partner had already retrieved the Bobcat excavator and later demanded $5,000 to return it. Officers ultimately recovered the machine from Franklin's property and took it into custody, the report says.
Legal path ahead
Franklin remains free on personal recognizance as he awaits his next Palmer District Court date on Aug. 6. According to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, his administrative suspension does not rule out a future certification hearing while prosecutors press ahead with the criminal case. The Hampden District Attorney's office is prosecuting the matter, and State Police say their internal investigation is still underway.
