UNPROFESSIONAL

Karen Reed Investigator Fired for Sending Lewd Texts About Her

Former lead investigator Michael Proctor said his messages were “regrettable.”

The Massachusetts State Police investigator who called Karen Read a “wack job c--t” in texts to his friends has been fired, according to state law enforcement officials on Wednesday. Michael Proctor, the former lead investigator in Read’s alleged murder of her cop boyfriend John O’Keefe, was dishonorably discharged after three days of hearings that began in January, NBC News reported. A trial board found the trooper guilty of three counts of unsatisfactory performance and one of consuming alcohol while on duty between January and August 2022. The charges stemmed from Proctor sending inappropriate, derogatory text messages about her and consuming alcohol while operating his patrol car. He had used the r-word slur in regards to Read and said he “truly” hated her lawyer, whom he called an “a--hole.” Proctor joked about searching for nudes of Read on her phone and made fun of her Crohn’s disease, saying, “She’s got a leaky balloon knot. Leaks poo.” Proctor’s family claimed the 12-year veteran was wrongfully terminated and defamed, although it remains unclear if he will pursue legal action. The trooper admitted the messages were “regrettable.” Proctor’s initial suspension followed a mistrial in the case of suspect Read, who is accused of running over O’Keefe, a Boston Police officer, with her car and leaving him for dead. Read faces a retrial starting April 1.