A Massachusetts mayor has been charged with assault and battery over allegations that he inappropriately touched a 17-year-old high school student at a parade.
According to Boston.com, a confrontation between the teen’s mother and Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues ensued at school graduation in June, about a month after the alleged incident. The girl’s mother reportedly approached Moises at the ceremony, yelling, “You know what you did to my daughter!”
The 17-year-old’s father reported to police that Rodrigues had touched his daughter, who was a member of Brockton High School’s marching band, during a city parade on May 22, per the outlet, which cited a statement of facts.
The father told police Rodrigues “wrapped his arms all the way around her waist and was face-to-face with her,” according to the statement of facts.
In a subsequent police interview, the teen said the mayor had wrapped his left arm around her and placed his hand on her shoulder while “humming the parade music.” Per the filing viewed by Boston.com, she claimed “Rodrigues was whispering into her ear saying, ‘Play this again’ and ‘Do this again for me.’”
When her mother confronted Rodrigues at graduation, the moment was captured in a video of the ceremony shared via the city’s YouTube channel.
Rodrigues will be arraigned on the assault and battery charges at a hearing in Hingham District Court set for September 28, according to The Boston Globe.
Prior to the charges, he reportedly testified at an August 7 hearing that he didn’t recall the alleged encounter with the teen.
“I don’t recall, for the life of me. I didn’t even know the person,” Rodrigues claimed.
Massachusetts State Police Captain John Santos gave testimony saying there was video and photo evidence supporting the teen’s allegation against Rodrigues, in addition to witness interviews corroborating the claim, according to the newspaper.
Rodrigues has since issued an apology and said he didn’t want to make the teen uncomfortable, per WCVB-TV.
His defense attorney, Mark E. Lawton, didn’t immediately return a request for comment from Us on Wednesday, September 16.
The attorney has contended that video footage from the parade doesn’t support the assault allegations, per NBC Boston.
Rodrigues is Brockton’s 51st mayor after having previously served as the city’s first Black interim mayor, according to the city’s website. He also served as a Brockton city councilmember for 13 years and worked as the city’s communications director.
Brockton is located about a 25-mile drive south from Boston.
