A lawless Boston police officer allegedly mailed a fake $790 citation and a threatening note to a driver who cut him off on a highway, according to a report.
The case of apparent road rage involved Christopher Curtis, 35, who is now facing criminal charges after nearly forcing another driver into a median barrier on Interstate 93 near Stoneham on March 1, the Boston Globe reported.
The unidentified driver then received a bogus State Police citation in the mail a week later, complete with the logo of the Boston Police Department on its envelope. The ticket, however, listed “state” as the agency that issued the citation, court records show.
“Watched you go in and out of traffic, tried pushing my truck off the road just to get into the left lane,” an accompanying handwritten note read. “Clocked you going over 90 in a 65. I have a 6 min video of you driving like an [expletive], and pulled up next to you and took your picture.”
The threatening missive concluded: “Try fighting this … I dare you! What happens when you try and run an officers truck off the road on 93S. Hope it was worth it. See you in court.”
The driver ignored the stern warning and ultimately appealed the citation, prosecutors said.
An investigation was launched after clerks in Woburn District Court and state troopers were unable to identify who wrote the ticket, which had an illegible signature, records show.
State Police subsequently learned that the citation was written with a Boston Police Department ticket book that had been signed out to Curtis, who initially denied any involvement, records show.
But investigators got a break last summer after state records showed that Curtis had a white Toyota Tundra with a damaged front grill – just like the unidentified motorist had previously described.
When confronted in August with cellphone records showing him traveling on I-93 on March 1 after an overtime assignment, Curtis “remember[ed] completely and became absurd in his explanations,” Assistant District Attorney Kevin Bergin wrote.
Curtis insisted to investigators that the other driver had nearly run him off the road but claimed the note was intended to be a joke for another cop rather than the motorist. He admitted to writing the down the driver’s license plate before mailing him a ticket “as sort of a warning,” Bergin wrote.
Curtis, who joined the department on Sept. 11, 2017, has been placed on administrative leave without pay following his arraignment, Boston police Sgt. Det. John Boyle told The Post.
He pleaded not guilty Tuesday during his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court to charges of forgery, witness intimidation and misleading an investigation and was released on his own recognizance.
His next court date is on Jan. 28, a spokeswoman for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.
“These allegations outline an abuse of power by an individual responsible for protecting the public and upholding the law,” District Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. “The community’s relationship with members of law enforcement relies on trust, and actions like these harm the ability of every member of law enforcement to effectively perform their vital duties.”
A call seeking comment from Curtis’ attorney was not immediately returned.