Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins has agreed to step away from his elected position of sheriff while he faces federal charges and will be replaced for the time by Special Sheriff Mark Lawhorne, according to a statement from Gov. Maura Healey this morning.
Gov. Healey noted that Lawhorne filling the position while the federal case against Tompkins proceeds is consistent with state law.
“The allegations against Sheriff Tompkins are serious,” said Healey. “The Suffolk County Sheriff is responsible for managing more than a thousand employees, hundreds of inmates and programs that are essential to public safety and rehabilitation. It is a full-time job that demands full time attention. 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.”
Added AG Andrea Campbell, “This is the right step for the Sheriff’s Office and the public as a whole, as it avoids prolonged proceedings before the Supreme Judicial Court.”
Tompkins’s lawyer told the media Wednesday that the sheriff was taking a “medical leave.”
Last week, he notified Gov. Healey of his resignation as the chair of the board for Roxbury Community College (RCC).
Tompkins, who was initially taken into custody in Florida earlier this month, appeared in federal court in Boston last Thursday for his arraignment. His attorney, Martin Weinberg, told reporters that “the facts simply will demonstrate that he was charged with a crime he did not commit.” Judge Page Kelley ordered Tompkins released on personal recognizance, though he cannot travel outside of the United States and must notify a Probation Officer before travelling outside of New England. He also cannot possess a firearm. Parties agreed to schedule the next status conference for 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 16.
The sheriff faces two counts of extortion under color of official right.
Federal prosecutors allege that Tompkins used his position as sheriff and his office’s relationship with a cannabis retailer to pressure the owner into providing him an early $50,000 stake in the company and then applied pressure to have his money returned after the stock value declined.
