Texts Expose Lax Guest Rules at Mass. State Police Barracks

A Massachusetts State Police trooper’s text messages approving an overnight guest at a Martha’s Vineyard barracks have triggered a sweeping policy overhaul, exposing how informal visitor practices inside secure law enforcement facilities left the agency scrambling to contain institutional fallout.

The internal review follows the Aug. 15 arrest of Edward Brown, 27, who was charged with raping a visiting Irish woman inside the state police housing where he was staying as a guest. Brown, who pleaded not guilty at his Oct. 13 arraignment, worked in security at Boston Latin Academy. He was released on $10,000 cash bail after prosecutors requested $50,000, according to court records.

Investigators pieced together the timeline using digital evidence that highlighted the ease with which civilians accessed restricted quarters. Trooper Ryan Costello, identified by prosecutors in court as Brown’s college friend and summer host at the barracks, exchanged texts with Brown on the night of the alleged assault. Assistant District Attorney Courtney Scalice told the judge that Costello’s attorney provided screenshots of those messages to investigators on Sept. 11 — nearly a month after the attack. “Prior to September 11th, 2026, these messages had never been provided to any member of law enforcement investigating the alleged rape,” Scalice said.

One message from Brown read, “I’m at the barracks with this chick, is that okay?” Costello, who prosecutors said was not present at the facility, replied “okay.” Brown subsequently asked where to find condoms and wrote, “Beers after I slam,” Scalice said.

State police facilities on seasonal islands like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket frequently house rotating troopers during the summer surge. The agency has since banned civilian guests from staying in its housing on both islands. Col. Geoffrey Noble ordered an internal review of visitor authorization procedures, calling the allegations “deeply troubling” and pledging corrective action for any identified deficiencies.

Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle moved early to distance his department from the state agency. In a Sept. 10 statement, Searle noted that local detectives developed probable cause independently and executed court-authorized search warrants at the state police barracks without MSP involvement.

Identifying Brown required coordination across multiple jurisdictions. A bouncer at The Ritz, a bar in Oak Bluffs where the victim reported meeting her attacker, recognized Brown but did not know his name. Oak Bluffs police sent the bouncer’s photo to Costello on Aug. 29, two weeks after the incident. Costello identified him. Detectives later obtained a search warrant for Brown’s Uber account, locating a ride booked roughly 30 minutes before two 911 calls were placed around 1 a.m. The driver confirmed dropping off a man matching Brown’s description and a heavily intoxicated woman at the barracks, Scalice said.

Responding officers found the victim naked on the road outside the barracks. She told investigators she awoke face down, was held down despite kicking and screaming, and escaped only after asking for water and fleeing when her attacker left the room. Officers documented bruises on her legs and a red mark on her neck, according to prosecutors.

Brown’s defense attorney, Anthony Ellison, told Fox News Digital that his client “denies the allegations” and “maintains full faith in the legal process.”

Boston police informed prosecutors that Brown had been the subject of four reports filed by two ex-girlfriends alleging harassment between March and August of this year. When Oak Bluffs police and Boston’s anti-corruption division arrested him at Boston Latin Academy on Oct. 9, they allegedly found suspected cocaine in his wallet. A search of the barracks failed to recover the victim’s clothes or phone, though male DNA samples suitable for comparison were recovered from swabs taken from the victim, who has since returned to Ireland. Brown is due back in court Dec. 11.