Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden defeated Boston City Councilman Ricardo Arroyo in a Democratic primary race for district attorney’s office that was marred by controversy, according to The Associated Press. The AP called the race for Hayden, who served only eight months as a prosecutor. Early Wednesday, Arroyo said it was clear he had no path to victory after refusing to concede on Tuesday night. “Running for Suffolk County Prosecutor has always been about ensuring those most impacted by our systems are treated with the humanity and dignity they deserve,” Arroyo said in a tweet. “I am grateful to the people of Suffolk County who have supported my vision for a fairer system and will continue to use my life to advance those ideals. This race may be over, but the work continues.” The campaign took a turn after the Boston Globe reported that Arroyo had been the subject of two previous investigations into possible sexual assaults. The newspaper reported that the allegations, which date back to 2005 and 2007, never resulted in any charges. In the days following the report, Arroyo lost many political endorsements and was removed from his leadership position on the city council. Arroyo, who was never charged in either case, said the charges were false and sued the city of Boston in pursuing records from the 2005 investigation. was published on Friday afternoon with specific redactions. One of the documents, an update dated February 17, 2006, says a detective “has concluded that this case should be dismissed as unfounded.” some of the statements in the 2006 documents, in particular that the allegations against the councilman were unfounded. Arroyo accused Hayden’s office of leaking documents relating to the 2005 and 2007 sexual assault investigations to the Boston Globe. Hayden has repeatedly denied these accusations. The councilman also claimed that the district attorney tried to cover up a case of police misconduct taken and took donations from the police officer under investigation and the officer’s attorney immediately. after his office told them that “they didn’t feel like pursuing” their case. These accusations stem from another Boston Globe report. Hayden was appointed Suffolk County Attorney by Governor Charlie Baker on Jan. 6 to fill the remainder of Rachael Rollins’ term after she was selected to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Hayden previously served as chairman of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board. to remove him from this position and from two committee chair positions for a period of at least 60 days retroactive to Monday. Arroyo formerly worked as a public defender at the Committee for Public Counsel Services.There are no candidates for Suffolk DA on the Republican primary ballot, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.PGlmcmFtZSBjbGFzcz0iYXAtZW1iZWQiIHNyYz0iaHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRlcmFjdGl2ZXMuYXAub3JnL2VsZWN0aW9uLXJlc3VsdHMvY3VzdG9tZXJzL2xheW91dHMvb3JnYW5pemF0aW9uLWxheW91dHMvcHVibGlzaGVkLzQ4NTc1LzM4MzYuaHRtbCIgd2lkdGg9IjEwMCUiIGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyPSIwIiBzY3JvbGxpbmc9Im5vIiBtYXJnaW5oZWlnaHQ9IjAiPjwvaWZyYW1lPjxzY3JpcHQgZGVmZXIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL2ludGVyYWN0aXZlcy5hcC5vcmcvZWxlY3Rpb24tcmVzdWx0cy9hc3NldHMvbWljcm9zaXRlL3Jlc2l6ZUNsaWVudC5qcyI+PC9zY3JpcHQ+
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden defeated Boston City Councilman Ricardo Arroyo in a Democratic primary race for district attorney’s office that was marred by controversy, according to The Associated Press.
The AP called the race for Hayden, who served only eight months as a prosecutor.
Early Wednesday, Arroyo said it was clear he had no path to victory after refusing to concede on Tuesday night.
“Running for Suffolk County Prosecutor has always been about ensuring those most impacted by our systems are treated with the humanity and dignity they deserve,” Arroyo said in a tweet. “I am grateful to the people of Suffolk County who have supported my vision for a fairer system and will continue to use my life to advance those ideals. This race may be over, but the work continues.”
The campaign took a turn after The Boston Globe reported that Arroyo has been the subject of two previous investigations into possible sexual assaults. The newspaper reported that the allegations, which date back to 2005 and 2007, never resulted in any charges. In the days following the report, Arroyo lost many political mentions and was retired from city council leadership positions.
Arroyo, who was never charged in either case, said the charges were false and sued the city of Boston in pursuing records from the 2005 investigation. was published on Friday afternoon with specific redactions. One of the documentsan update dated February 17, 2006, states that a detective “has concluded that this case should be dismissed as unfounded”.
Hayden’s office said it thoroughly reviewed his entire unredacted file regarding the sexual assault allegations against Arroyo and disputed some of the statements in the 2006 documents, in particular that the allegations against the municipal councilor were unfounded.
Arroyo accused Hayden’s office of leaking documents relating to the 2005 and 2007 sexual assault investigations to the Boston Globe. Hayden has repeatedly denied these accusations.
The councilman also claimed that the district attorney tried to cover up a case of police misconduct taken and received donations from the police officer under investigation and the officer’s attorney immediately after his office told them that “they had no desire to pursue” their case. These charges stem another report from the Boston Globe.
Hayden was appointed District Attorney for Suffolk County by Governor Charlie Baker on Jan. 6 to fill out the remainder of Rachael Rollins’ term after she was selected to serve as the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Hayden was previously chairman of the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board.
Arroyo was first elected to the Boston City Council in 2019 and served as the vice president for the entire council until City Council President Ed Flynn, who once backed Arroyo in the DA race, decided to remove him from this position and from two committee chairman positions for a period of at least 60 days back to Monday. Arroyo previously worked as a duty counsel on the Public Counsel Services Committee.
There are no candidates for Suffolk DA on the Republican primary ballot, according to the Office of the Secretary of State.