A Boston school security director charged with raping a woman at a Martha’s Vineyard State Police barracks has pleaded not guilty and been released on bond.
Edward Brown, 27, was arraigned Oct. 13 in connection with the Aug. 15 alleged assault, according to a press release from the Cape and Island District Attorney’s Office. He was arrested four days earlier at Boston Latin Academy, where he had worked as an assistant security director, the Oaks Bluff Police Department announced.
The alleged victim, who is from Ireland and has since returned home, told police she met Brown at a bar called The Ritz on the island. Brown approached her there, groped her backside and tried buying her a drink, according to the DA’s office and CBS News. She said she remembered nothing after that point until waking up in an unfamiliar location.
“She woke up face down and naked in a bed, she tried to get up but the man came back into the room and forced himself on her. The man held her down by the neck,” a prosecutor said in court Tuesday, according to Boston 25 News.
After she escaped, the woman ran down two flights of stairs and ended up on the road, where people found her naked and in distress just before 1 a.m. She was rushed to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, where she told police what she had allegedly endured.
Brown was allegedly staying the night at the Massachusetts State Police barracks with a friend who is a trooper working on the island, reports said.
During the hearing, prosecutors referenced four police reports filed against Brown from March to August, involving two harassment complaints by his ex-girlfriends, Boston 25 News reported. Both women were granted restraining orders, and one remains active. Prosecutors also alleged Brown had cocaine on him when he was arrested.
Brown’s attorney, Anthony R. Ellison, pushed back on the portrayal of his client. “Mr. Brown has entered a plea of not guilty and professed his innocence. There is more than one side to a story. We trust the judicial process and we anticipate presenting our case before the court,” Ellison told The Post.
Ellison also argued in court that Brown had never before been charged with a crime and was an upstanding citizen.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu condemned the allegations. “These allegations are absolutely horrific,” she said, per Boston 25 News. “We need to ensure that every single one of our students and our school communities has high standards with safety and support surround them so obviously we are incredibly disturbed.”
Brown has posted $10,000 bond and was released with conditions requiring he stay away from the alleged victim and witnesses and check in with probation. He is due back in court Dec. 3 for a pre-trial hearing, according to the DA’s office.
Brown has been placed on administrative leave from Boston Public Schools and is awaiting a termination hearing. He had worked as an assistant security director in the district for the past two years, earning a $117,000 annual salary.
The Massachusetts State Police did not return a request for comment.