By Aaron Parseghian, WBZ-TV

A former Methuen police officer accused of faking his law enforcement credentials appeared in Essex County Superior Court on Friday, but an expected change of plea was delayed after a judge raised concerns about victim impact statements submitted by current city leaders. 

Sean Fountain, who previously pleaded not guilty, was indicted in 2023 alongside former Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon on multiple charges including fraud. 

Prosecutors allege Fountain was never qualified to serve as a police officer and forged a certificate falsely claiming he graduated from a police training academy in the 1990s. Information the Massachusetts Attorney General's office says was known to Solomon, who's accused of using his position to circumvent civil service laws. 

City leaders on civil liability

Though any change in plea is delayed until next month as Massachusetts Superior Court Justice Thomas Dreschler raised concerns with victim impact statements submitted by current Methuen Mayor D.J. Beauregard and Police Chief Scott McNamara. 

In asking for a sentence that includes time behind bars, both referenced potential civil liability the city could face as a result of Fountain's alleged actions, a factor Dreschler said should not influence a criminal sentence. 

"I don't think I've ever, in my judicial career, seen a filing like this, in which the emphasis regarding the sentence that a judge should impose in a criminal case is somehow linked to civil liability," Dreschler said.

Outside court, city leaders defended their stance, saying it was just one aspect of the broader impact on Methuen residents they were highlighting. 

"We're concerned about ensuring that the individual involved receives punishment that is really in keeping with the damage, the harm that has been done to the people of Methuen," said Mayor Beauregard. 

McNamara said Fountain spent more than four years acting as an officer despite allegedly lacking proper training. 

"Sean Fountain was essentially a civilian masquerading as a police officer," Chief McNamara said. "We know that he arrested, searched and initiated prosecution against more than 40 citizens of the Commonwealth. Those are all unlawful arrests, and the day will come, I am certain of it, that the city will be held account for those acts." 

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are expected to return to court on December 17 for a hearing that could determine whether Fountain will formally change his plea.