Former Dedham Police Officer Convicted In Connection With Avon Kidnapping
DEDHAM (CBS) – Former Dedham Police officer Michael Schoener has been found guilty in connection with the kidnapping of an Avon man who was later found murdered. Schoener, 45, was convicted Wednesday of accessory before the fact to the kidnapping of James Robertson.
Robertson was 37 when he was kidnapped on New Year's Day 2014 by two men passing themselves off as constables. They wore badges, carried guns, and claimed they needed to take Robertson for a random drug test related to his probation. Robertson was found about two years later murdered in the woods of Upton.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Schoener handed over his police badge, holster, handcuffs and information about Robertson to his drug dealer before the kidnapping. "It was a shocking betrayal of public trust, with a brutal and shocking outcome," Morrissey said.
Dedham Police Chief Michael D'Entremont said Schoener, who resigned from the department, jeopardized the "sacred trust" placed by citizens in police officers. "There is no room for individuals who engage in this type of conduct in the profession of policing," Chief D'Entremont said.
James Feeney, 48, of Dedham and Scott Morrison, 51, of Norfolk were convicted last October in the kidnapping and murder of Robertson.
Schoener will be sentenced Thursday morning in Norfolk Superior Court and faces a maximum of 10 years in state prison.