A 31-year veteran of the Malden Police Department says he was blocked by the police chief and city officials from investigating an alleged sexual assault of a 6-year-old and alleged thefts of city money, according to The Boston Globe.

John Amirault, a captain in the Malden Police, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that says he was punished by being reassigned after pushing to investigate those cases further, the Globe reports.

Both cases involved suspects with relationships to town officials, the lawsuit says.

The suspect in the alleged sexual assault, which took place at a Malden YMCA, was a 15-year-old who had been hired by the police chief’s brother, according to the lawsuit.


In the alleged theft of city funds, the suspect’s mother is a “substantial political supporter’’ to Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, according to the lawsuit.

A city official told the Globe that the police department and city had not been served with the lawsuit yet, and so could not comment in detail.

You can read the full story at The Boston Globe.