DA candidate: ‘Minor’ arrest in ’91 not an issue

Suffolk District Attorney hopeful Rachael Rollins was charged with receiving stolen property while she was a student at UMass, court records and her campaign confirm.

The misdemeanor charge dating back to 1991 was eventually continued without a finding and dropped, but the disclosure comes in the last week of an often heated, multifield primary contest for Suffolk DA.

Her campaign says the “minor” arrest did not affect her career as a prosecutor but has “informed how she views criminal justice reform.”

Rollins, a Democrat, was just 19 and attending the University of Massachusetts when Amherst police filed the criminal complaint against her.

The Herald obtained the Northampton District Court complaint and Rollins’ campaign confirmed she was charged back in October 1991.

The court records do not say what the stolen property was — only that it was worth $200 or less, which is a misdemeanor charge. The campaign also did not clarify exactly why she was charged with receiving stolen property.

“When Rachael was 19 and at UMass Amherst a criminal complaint of receiving stolen property was filed against her, a misdemeanor,” according to the statement by her campaign. “She got the notification in the mail, answered and it was eventually dismissed.”

Rollins was arraigned on Dec. 5, 1991, and pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

Five months later she appeared in court and the charge was continued without a finding for one year, and eventually dismissed. She paid $200 in court costs, according to records.

Rollins’ campaign says the charge was never a factor in her career, which included four years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and a five-month stint at the Plymouth County DA’s office. Rollins also was general counsel at Massport and at the state Department of Transportation and MBTA.

“She has since passed federal clearance checks and state police background checks for her jobs for the state and federal governments,” according to the statement of her campaign. “But she knows how even minor complaints follow you for the rest of your life. It’s informed how she views criminal justice reform.”