Hub fire official again arrested for assault
2d woman says that deputy chief had raped her
Boston Deputy Fire Chief Peter Pearson, already facing charges of kidnapping and rape, was arrested at his home in East Bridgewater Friday night after another woman came forward with similar allegations, Bristol County prosecutors said yesterday.
Pearson was previously arrested by Brockton police on Monday, on charges that he stalked a prostitute for weeks before dragging her into a park at gunpoint and sexually assaulted her while impersonating a state trooper, prosecutors said. He was released on $50,000 bail Wednesday after pleading not guilty to charges of rape, kidnapping, and impersonating a police officer in Brockton District Court.
Pearson, 51, now faces additional charges, including aggravated rape, kidnapping for sexual intercourse, assault with a dangerous weapon, and impersonating a police officer.
"The charges involve a second victim who came forward to police," Assistant Plymouth District Attorney Bridget Norton Middleton said yesterday.
Brockton police confirmed the arrest.
"He was placed under arrest [Friday] night and is currently being held in Brockton," Brockton police Sergeant Timothy Stanton said.
Stanton said Pearson was arrested without incident. Pearson will be held in jail in Brockton until he is arraigned tomorrow in Brockton District Court.
Neither police nor prosecutors would comment further on the new allegations.
Last week, Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz called the original allegations "very serious."
"I think people who are out there pretending they are somebody they are not really pose a threat," Cruz told the Globe.
The first allegations were made in early June, when a woman whom Brockton police had detained on suspicion of prostitution told officers that she had been raped by a state trooper two weeks earlier, authorities said.
On Monday, the victim's boyfriend flagged down a police cruiser, saying the victim had seen the car involved in the alleged assault. Pearson was subsequently arrested, and the woman identified him at the police station as her attacker.
Boston Fire Department officials confirmed earlier in the week that Pearson is the deputy chief for Division 2, which covers areas west of Massachusetts Avenue. Officials said Pearson has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the allegations.
The allegations against Pearson are the most recent troubles to affect the department.
On Friday, Firefighter Anthony Gaston was fired for smoking marijuana in a department vehicle in Dorchester in March. Firefighter Albert Arroyo, who was out on a permanent disability claim, was also recently fired after refusing to return to work after it was reported that he had taken part in a bodybuilding competition.
Globe correspondent Ryan Kost contributed to this report. John Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.
Correction: Because of an editing error, a story in yesterday's City & Region section about the arrest of Boston deputy fire chief Peter Pearson attributed information in the first paragraph to an assistant district attorney from the wrong county. The information came from an assistant district attorney from Plymouth County. 