After a nearly two-year investigation, the Attorney Generalâs Office has decided not to charge former Salem police chief Paul Donovan in connection with numerous allegations contained in a 2018 audit of the department.
For the first time, the nature of the allegations against Donovan was made public, but specific details remain sealed for now. Senior Assistant Attorney General Geoffrey W.R. Ward said in a letter on Wednesday that the office investigated whether Donovan committed the crimes of official oppression and unsworn falsification.
âAfter a review of evidence gathered during the course of the investigation, the attorney general has determined that the state could not sustain its burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Donovan committed the above-referenced crimes,â the letter to Salem Town Manager Christopher Dillon and Police Chief Joel Dolan states.