Waltham Police Chief Sentenced; Chief Quits

A judge on Wednesday sentenced Waltham Police Chief Thomas LaCroix to probation until December 2014 on two counts of assault and battery on his wife, Andrea LaCroix. 

Also, Thomas LaCroix resigned hours after Mayor Jeannette McCarthy said she had taken steps to terminate LaCroix's employment. 

A jury found Thomas LaCroix guilty of the two misdemeanor counts during a trial in June at Concord District Court. The jury acquitted him on five other counts.

LaCroix, 50, was arrested in June 2012 on charges that he attacked his wife and her friend, Shannon Policano, at their Maynard home. The attack occurred after Thomas LaCroix accused his wife of having an affair.

Thomas LaCroix's attorney, Thomas Drechsler, said he would appeal the convictions. 

"I thought it was very fair," Drechsler said of the sentence. "I'm generally pleased with the outcome." 

As part of the sentence, Thomas LaCroix must follow several conditions. He must submit to evaluation, which could send him to a program for domestic abusers and must continue attending therapy sessions. He is also prohibited from consuming alcohol or drugs until a substance abuse evaluation can be performed. He must submit to random screenings for drugs and alcohol. Also, he is prohibited from carrying or possessing a firearm. 

In addition to those conditions, LaCroix must stay away from several witnesses involved in the case, including Andrea LaCroix's friend, Shannon Policano. Policano, whom Thomas LaCroix allegedly attacked, testified during the trial.  Prosecutors asked the judge to bar Thomas LaCroix from TJX in Framingham, where some of the witnesses and Andrea LaCroix are employed. However, the judge chose not to grant that request as well as a request to stay away from a Maynard Police officer who investigated the case.  

Prosecutors asked for two years of probation as well as the conditions. Drechsler requested LaCroix be placed on probation until June 14, 2013, which he said would effectively be two total years of probation. After LaCroix was arraigned in 2012, the court placed him on pre-trial probation and supervised release.

In her sentencing arguments, Kontz said the abuse was "continuous," while Drechsler argued prosecutors were pushing for a punishment based on charges of which he was acquitted.

REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, a Waltham-based organization that assists victims of domestic abuse and works with the Waltham Police, in a statement, did not directly comment on the sentence. 

“Domestic violence cases are often complex, and many never make it to the point of arrest, prosecution, and sentencing as happened in this case. Even for those that do, the sentencing is often not what it would have been had the assault taken place on a stranger in a public place rather than on an intimate partner behind closed doors. We wonder if the situation were different, would the consequences be harsher both in terms of sentencing and public opinion?” the statement reads. “We recognize that the actions of one man do not represent the Waltham Police Department as a whole, which has been a valued partner of REACH for more than three decades. We hope that victims of domestic violence here and anywhere are not hesitant to access the help they need. Resources and support are available, by calling REACH or an agency in your area," the group said. 

Immediately after his arrest, Thomas LaCroix was placed on paid administrative leave. After he was convicted, Thomas LaCroix was placed on unpaid leave. McCarthy, in her statement, did not comment on any pension issues. 

Acting Police Chief Keith MacPherson will remain in place until the "appropriate time," McCarthy said. 

Check out the video of Drechsler commenting on the sentence.