Watertown police officer acquitted of rape charges

The Watertown police officer accused of raping a woman in the summer of 2021 was acquitted of all charges in Middlesex Superior Court on Tuesday, but the department’s own investigation is still ongoing.

Kevin Rooney was found not guilty of two counts of rape and an indecent assault and battery charge. Prosecutors alleged that Rooney had anally raped a woman after a night of drinking in Boston, court documents show. 

The woman was out with friends at a restaurant, where she met Rooney, prosecutors said. She told investigators she couldn’t remember anything after taking a shot, and surveillance video showed the pair leaving together.

She then woke up next to Rooney, who was off-duty. The night before, Rooney had put her in the shower after she threw up in his bed and the Lyft, prosecutors said. Rooney allegedly told her in the morning that they had “hooked up,” according to court docs.

The woman left and went to the hospital for a rape kit, prosecutors said. She had bruising on her arms and thigh and had an abrasion on her upper thigh, the court docs said, and the rape kit showed that the DNA and sperm most likely came from Rooney.

Police department’s investigation ongoing

Rooney has been on unpaid administrative leave from the Watertown Police Department since the incident was reported, Detective Sergeant Kenneth Swift said.

The department’s internal investigation into the claims against Rooney is ongoing, said Swift, who had no further comment about his acquittal Thursday night.

Rooney’s lawyer and the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office did not return an immediate request for comment.