Sheriff Steven Tompkins takes medical leave while facing federal charges
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Suffolk Sheriff Steve Tompkins, left. Photo: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins has gone on leave three weeks after being indicted on federal extortion charges.
Why it matters: Tompkins initially seemed to resist calls to step back from his taxpayer-funded position while fighting charges that he misused his influence as sheriff to extort a cannabis company in Boston.
Driving the news: Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced Tompkins has "agreed to step away" from his role until the federal case is resolved.
- He pleaded not guilty to charges that he extorted a local cannabis business.
- Per Campbell's office, Tompkins' current leave is unpaid, though he plans to file a 20-week medical leave.
- Mark Lawhorne, assistant superintendent to the sheriff's office, will serve as "special sheriff" in the interim.
What they're saying: "The allegations against Sheriff Tompkins are serious," Healey said in a statement.
- "The people of Massachusetts need to be able to trust in the integrity of the criminal justice system and that their elected officials are fully engaged in the work of serving the public."
- Campbell said Tompkins' leave was necessary so that she and Healey wouldn't have to petition the state Supreme Judicial Court to remove him.
Context: Critics have called on Tompkins to resign and for Healey to suspend or remove him since the indictment.
- Mike Kennealy, who is running against Healey for governor, blasted her a week after the news for not acting at the time.
- "Public trust in government is fragile, and when an official charged with upholding the law is indicted and arrested, swift, clear action is not optional—it is a duty."
Yes, but: Tompkins' attorney, Martin G. Weinberg, told the Boston Globe he went on "medical leave" at the "strong recommendation of his treating physician,"
- "Sheriff Tompkins will use this time to meet the challenge resulting from a serious medical issue while he and I work to safeguard his freedom by preparing his defense to what we strongly contend is an unwarranted accusation," he said.
- Weinberg said he believed Tompkins will be acquitted of the federal extortion charges.