Woburn Cop Accused of Helping Plan ‘Unite the Right’ Rally Resigns

A Massachusetts police officer has resigned from his position following the revelation that he allegedly helped plan a white nationalist rally that turned deadly in 2017.

The Woburn Police Department said Monday that John Donnelly was no longer an employee after submitting his letter of resignation to Chief Robert Rufo.

Donnelly was placed on leave last week after allegations came to light that he had attended and had an active role in planning the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

On the third anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., during which protester Heather Heyer was killed, a new Investigation Discovery special is giving survivors a voice to talk about how the incident has continued to affect them. Pamela Deutsch, the producer of "Impact of Hate: Charlottesville" joined LX News to discuss the special.

Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters.

According to the police department, Rufo placed Donnelly on leave and ordered an internal affairs investigation immediately after learning of his alleged involvement.

"A thorough finding of fact is necessary in this situation, and our investigation shall continue," Rufo said in a statement Monday. "For decades, police chiefs across the commonwealth have called for a statewide certification process to ensure that allegations of misconduct are thoroughly investigated, and bad actors are held accountable. That will be our focus moving forward. The men and women of the Woburn Police Department are united in disavowing hate in all its forms."

"There is no place for hate in Woburn or in the ranks of the Woburn Police Department," Mayor Scott Galvin added in the statement. "The City of Woburn stands together in its opposition to hate and violence, and we will emerge stronger as a community."

A police officer's cases are under review after allegations surfaced that he took part in and helped plan the far-right 2017 Charlottesville rally that turned deadly.

Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan says her office intends to review every case with which Donnelly was involved.

"We are acutely aware of the way in which these allegations tear at the fabric of trust which exists between communities and the police departments which serve them," Ryan said in a statement last week.

Participants in Charlottesville rally, which included neo-Nazi groups, marched while wielding tiki torches and chanting racist, antisemitic slogans.

Neo-Nazi James Fields Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for killing a woman with his vehicle. Then-President Donald Trump was widely criticized for remarking that there were "very fine people on both sides."