Braintree Firefighter Stays On Paid Leave A Year After Charges

BRAINTREE, MA — A Braintree firefighter, who last February, admitted in court that prosecutors had enough evidence to find him guilty of threatening to kill a woman, is still on paid leave almost a year later. Lt. Kevin MacAleese has been off the job since the charges surfaced in December, but his $89,000 salary is still being paid by Braintree's tax payers, according to NBC 10 Boston.

Several Braintree firefighters told NBC 10 Boston they don't know why MacAleese's employment status hasn't changed. Town officials said they are in the middle of an internal investigation, but did not comment further. The internal investigation is being conducted by the private firm Prezza Consulting, LLC.

According to prosecutors, MacAleese called a Whitman woman he used to have a romantic relationship with and threatened to kill her. He also threatened to beat up her husband, according to prosecutors. MacAleese was sentenced to a year of probation after admitting to sufficient facts, that essentially acknowledged prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him, but without having to submit a guilty plea.

Paid administrative leave can add up to a lot of money for taxpayers in Massachusetts cities and town. According to an NBC 10 investigation, Boston taxpayers paid around $5 million over a three-year period for city employees facing criminal charges or under criminal investigation.

For more on this story, check out NBC 10 Boston.