Tarr: Anyone who Corrupted State Government Should Be 'Appropriately Punished'

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) released the following statement regarding the indictment of three high ranking Probation Department officials on Friday - former Commissioner John O'Brien, Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke III.

"The indictments of top probation officials announced (Friday) by United States Attorney Ortiz are stinging reminders of just how bad things had become in our state’s probation department, and of the need for everything possible to be done to correct the deeply troubling issues identified in the Ware report.

The Legislature has passed important measures to reform the system, and now the criminal justice system is beginning to take actions to bring those responsible for reprehensible acts to justice. Neither of us should rest until anyone who corrupted our state government in this case is appropriately punished, and all possible reforms are enacted to ensure that this behavior never happens again.

I encourage U.S. Attorney Ortiz to leave no stone unturned until each and everyone responsible for corrupting one of the state's most important public safety agencies are brought to justice in a timely and substantive fashion, and Senate Republicans will continue to explore every opportunity to reform state government in the area of hiring, promotion and other employment practices."