The state trooper suspended with pay for allegedly assaulting a colleague in an off-duty brawl at a Quincy bar has been granted pretrial diversion.
A Quincy judge has approved a request from Christopher Regan’s attorney for the BRAVE Act to apply to his client, delaying the trooper’s arraignment from Thursday until Oct. 9.
Regan’s attorney, Daniel O’Malley, said that his client meets the criteria for the benefits under the BRAVE Act, which diverts veterans facing criminal charges away from traditional court processes.
Not every veteran qualifies for the program.
“What he did immediately following the incident, if you will, is go to his employment assistance unit and ask for help,” O’Malley said of Regan, who the attorney added requested to be evaluated by a veterans outreach coordinator after the fight.
Regan is accused of assaulting a fellow trooper at the ReelHouse brewpub in Marina Bay on June 26 in a one-sided fight that was shown in a video taken off the bar’s security camera. That clip immediately went viral.
The off-duty officers, who had been assigned to the Suffolk DA’s office in the elite SPDU detective unit, have both been dropped from that squad. Both troopers were reassigned to the Division of Field Services, which is responsible for the state’s roadways.
Regan has since been suspended with pay. Last year he made more than $200,000, according to state payroll records. The most he earned in a year was in 2023, with $277,000, including $81,000 in overtime.
O’Malley said his client met the BRAVE Act’s criteria by not being charged with a domestic assault and battery, having no previous criminal record and being honorably discharged from the Army.
The attorney added that after the fight, Regan completed a 30-day mental health inpatient program out of state. The trooper is now in another program in which he has already finished inpatient and follow-up services.
Regan is currently undertaking an indefinite intensive outpatient program, O’Malley said.
“He sought help,” the attorney added of Regan, “he’s availed himself of that help, and he’s continuing that help.”
The prosecution did not object to the pre-trial diversion request.
Original article


Comments