Cantonal police officer involved in the Karen Read case back on duty after disciplinary action and suspension

A Canton police officer whose brother owned the home where Boston police Officer John O'Keefe was found dead in 2022 has returned to work after accepting disciplinary action related to his conduct in another case.

Detective Kevin Albert returned from paid administrative leave on Thursday, Police Chief Helena Rafferty confirmed to MassLive.

Albert was placed on leave on June 13 pending an outside investigation into a case he was investigating with Massachusetts State Police Detective Michael Proctor. Proctor has also been criticized for his conduct during the investigation into the Karen Read case following O'Keefe's death two years ago.

“After the investigation was completed, the Special Committee reviewed the report and had the opportunity to question the investigator and Detective Albert regarding the scope and adequacy of the investigation and the substance of the allegations,” the city said in a statement. “The Special Committee voted that the Chief of Police should impose disciplinary action, which Detective Albert accepted.”

The exact nature of the discipline was not specified.

Brian Albert, Kevin Albert's brother, owned the home at 34 Fairview Road where O'Keefe's body was found in a snowstorm on the morning of January 29, 2022.

Read, O'Keefe's girlfriend, is accused of hitting him with her car after a night of drinking with friends and leaving him to die in the snow. Her murder trial earlier this year made national headlines because the defense claimed she had been framed and that police had covered up the true cause of O'Keefe's death. The trial ended in a mistrial.

Chris Albert, the third brother of Kevin and Brian Albert, who was also present the night of O'Keefe's death, is a member of the City Council and abstained from the hearing at which the council discussed the investigation into his brother's case, according to the city.

Rafferty had previously stated that the investigation into Albert was related to comments Proctor made during the Read trial regarding an unsolved case investigation the two conducted in 2022.

The two detectives went out for a drink and the next day, Proctor found Albert's badge in his vehicle, MassLive previously reported. He texted Albert to let him know, and Albert wrote in the text that he was hungover.

Proctor was suspended without pay in July after his own derogatory text messages about Read came to light during the trial. His comments could impact other criminal trials, and prosecutors have already said they do not plan to call him as a witness in the trial of Brian Walshe, who is accused of killing his wife, Ana Walshe, despite his prominent role in the investigation.

A second trial for Read is scheduled to begin in January 2025, but her defense team has asked for the case to be dismissed and appealed the court's previous denial earlier this week.