Former Oak Bluffs Fire chief and West Tisbury firefighter John Rose pleaded not guilty in Edgartown District Court on Thursday, August 8, on charges of attempting to conduct “electronic surveillance” on a “nude or partially nude persons,” and attempting to pose or exhibit a “child in state of nudity or sexual conduct.”
Rose, appearing in person on Thursday, was arraigned at the courthouse and released without bail. He is ordered to stay away from and not contact the alleged victim or victims.
Court documents state that the offenses took place in Oak Bluffs in December 2023, and that Rose “placed a hidden camera” but “failed in the perpetration of such offense, or was intercepted and prevented in the execution of such offense.”
The former chief is also due to appear in court on Nov. 7 for a pretrial hearing on these charges, and for discovery compliance and jury selection on separate charges, filed in January, that he filmed a nude adult in their 40s without their knowledge. Rose was arrested on Jan. 20 at Logan Airport after being under investigation for allegedly secretly videoing a child.
Rose was chief of the Oak Bluffs Fire Department from 2014 to 2020, and resigned amid a sexual harassment claim that Oak Bluffs settled for $97,500. During his tenure, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was probing the department for overbilling the federal government for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for off-Island ambulance runs.
Rose joined the West Tisbury Fire Department in 2022 as a volunteer firefighter, and was indefinitely suspended in December 2023 when a restraining order was issued against him in Edgartown District Court.
This brand of broken cannot be fixed!!
The creep meter is off the scale
What ever happened to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for overbilling the federal government for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements?
Can they put this creep in jail already?
Meanwhile, released without bail?
I love West Tisbury, why is he a fire fighter for our town? I know nothing of the legality regarding the alleged charges. And I believe in second chances. If the charges were wrecking a fire vehicle for whatever reason, i would feel a lot more comfortable. These allegations are deeply disturbing and frankly I wouldn’t want this man anywhere near my friends and family until this case has been properly adjudicated. So wtfd how about we give him some leave time?
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