2 Massachusetts State Troopers suspended with pay after reported rape at Martha's Vineyard barracks

Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald on Oct 23, 2026

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BOSTON — Two State Police troopers have been suspended with pay as an internal affairs investigation plays out following an alleged rape at the Oak Bluffs barracks complex on Martha’s Vineyard in August.

An assistant director of security for the Boston Public Schools, Edward J. Brown, has been charged with the rape. But that alleged sexual assault that left a woman naked and on the side of the road was allegedly committed while the accused was allowed to stay on the barracks property, police said.

Brown, 27, of Boston, was a guest of one of the troopers. Now the State Police have announced the suspensions and a change in policy.

“Today the Massachusetts State Police suspended Troopers Ryan Costello and Robert Branca with pay in relation to the August Oak Bluffs incident that remains the subject of a criminal investigation and a State Police internal affairs investigation,” the State Police told the Herald in an email late Thursday night.

Trooper Costello, a onetime winner of a Hanna Award for valor, has earned $136,309 this year, according to state Comptroller records. It’s his highest pay to date in his six-year career, records show.

Trooper Branca has clocked $182,346 so far this year earning six-figure pay in all of his 10 years on the force, records show.

State Police said the alleged rapist was “visiting a Trooper assigned to the Island for the summer” and was staying at “temporary housing available to a small number of Troopers” adjacent to the island barracks.

Since the news of the reported rape, overnight guests are not allowed at State Police barracks property on Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket, under orders from Col. Geoffrey Noble.

“These allegations are deeply troubling. The Massachusetts State Police are fully cooperating with the ongoing criminal investigation and conducting an internal review of applicable policies, visitor authorization procedures and compliance with established requirements. I am committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety, security and accountability at all State Police facilities and ensuring that any identified deficiencies are addressed with appropriate corrective action,” said Noble.

The State Police said the internal affairs investigation will proceed in conjunction with the criminal case and may extend beyond that.

Brown was arrested earlier this month by Boston and Oak Bluffs police at Boston Latin Academy and pleaded not guilty to the alleged rape in Edgartown District Court. He was held on $10,000 bail, an amount his attorney requested. Prosecutors sought a higher bail amount of $50,000.

Brown, nor the alleged victim, work for the barracks, but Brown is a friend of Ryan Costello, a state trooper who was assigned there at the time, prosecutors said.

At the arraignment, prosecutors said the accused texted his trooper buddy.

“In the messages, the defendant messages Costello, ‘I’m at the barracks with this chick. Is that OK?” a prosecutor said, adding that Costello responded with, “OK.”

The assistant district attorney added, “The defendant then messages that he’s going into Costello’s roommate’s room, and asks where the condoms are, and then states to Costello, ‘Beers after I slam.’”

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