Watertown police officer faces jury trial on rape charges

A Watertown police officer is on trial this week for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman three years ago, according to court records and prosecutors.

Kevin Rooney was indicted on two counts of rape and one count of indecent assault in 2022, but the charges didn’t attract news coverage back then.

Prosecutors described in Middlesex Superior Court records that a woman drank three alcoholic beverages over dinner and later took a shot with friends at the Capo restaurant in South Boston in June 2021 before blacking out.

She told authorities she next remembered waking up next to a man she didn’t know — later identified as Rooney. According to prosecutors, the man told her that they had taken a Lyft to his house and "hooked up." He also told her he removed her clothes after she vomited in the car and in his bed.

The woman returned to her home in Boston and called police. She said the man told her he was an off-duty Watertown police officer. Prosecutors said DNA evidence collected from a rape kit likely matched Rooney. The woman had bruises and reported feeling "not right" during a sexual assault exam at Tufts Medical Center.

Rooney pleaded not guilty to all charges. His attorney could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the Middlesex district attorney’s office said it could not comment while the trial proceeds. Court records show a jury was impaneled in Middlesex Superior Court Tuesday, and the trial was expected to continue through Thursday.

The Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training, which certifies police officers, identified Rooney as one of 15 officers who were suspended last year. The department says it suspends officers accused of a felony, but didn’t provide further details on why Rooney was suspended or for how long. The city also declined to provide details last year. Rooney is not listed in the state's public database on officer misconduct.

Watertown Police Chief Justin Hanrahan said Rooney is on unpaid leave pending the results from the trial and the department’s own investigation. Hanrahan said he couldn’t comment further, because of the ongoing criminal proceedings and personnel investigation.