Blackstone police officer accused of sexual harassment resigns

A Massachusetts police officer accused of sexually harassing a college student while working at a university has resigned.

David Laudon submitted his resignation from the Blackstone Massachusetts Police Department earlier this week, according to town administrator Dori Vecchio.

His name was also removed from the department's website.

Laudon was one of the subjects of a recent WBUR investigation which found many Massachusetts police officers got new jobs after being fired or caught in scandals at their old departments.

WBUR found more than a dozen current officers who had previously been fired or forced to resign over violations like sexual assault, domestic violence and drunk driving.

Police files show Laudon was accused of sexually harassing and groping a 20-year-old college student while he was a campus police officer at UMass Dartmouth in 2010.

University police began an investigation after the student complained. But Laudon resigned before it was completed.

Three years later, Laudon found a new job in Blackstone, a small town on the Rhode Island border. Blackstone police hired him as a resource officer at the local high school. Laudon was also responsible for investigating sexual assaults.

Blackstone town administrator Dori Vecchio said she didn’t know about Laudon’s problems at UMass Dartmouth until she was contacted by a WBUR reporter. The town then removed him from his assignment at the school and began an investigation. Until his resignation, Laudon continued to work as a patrol officer for the town.

Laudon officially resigned on Jan. 7.

He did not return a request for comment.