Plymouth police captain suspended without pay for losing his service revolver

By Todd Feathers, Globe Correspondent

Plymouth Police Captain John Rogers Jr., who lost his service revolver in a Wareham District Court bathroom last week, will be temporarily suspended without pay and removed from his position as internal affairs investigator, Plymouth police announced today.

Rogers will be suspended without pay for 20 days and serve another 10 days on-duty without pay, Police Chief Michael Botieri said in a statement.

Rogers, who is currently the department’s operations captain, was testifying in the Wareham court Jan. 29 when he left his .357-caliber revolver in the bathroom, police said.

The weapon was recovered the next day, according to the statement. Botieri said the revolver was taken by a person who was in the courthouse that day and when it was recovered, several of the serial numbers had been scratched out.

In the statement, Botieri said Rogers “always presented himself in a professional manner and is a well-respected law enforcement officer in the area.”

Rogers will also be required to re-complete the department’s standard training relating to handling service weapons, the statement said.

The punishment doled out to Rogers was the “most serious discipline I’ve ever given out,” Botieri said in a phone interview.