On-Duty, Uniformed Police Officer Allegedly Sold Cocaine to Undercover Cop

A special police officer for Cambridge Health Alliance was arrested after allegedly selling cocaine to an undercover cop while on duty and in uniform in Somerville and Malden, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan announced Friday.

William Kelly, 32, of Somerville, was arraigned Friday in Somerville District Court on the following charges: possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, conspiracy to violate drug laws and possession of cocaine. Judge Maurice Flynn set his bail at $1,000, according to the district attorney’s office.

“This defendant’s responsibility was to protect the patients at the hospital facilities where he worked and instead, we allege, that he was engaged in the sale of narcotics,” Ryan said in a statement.

According to authorities, on three separate occasions in January, Kelly sold cocaine to an undercover officer in one of Cambridge Health Alliance’s parking lots while on duty and in uniform. The alleged transactions took place twice at a Cambridge Health Alliance location in Somerville and once at one in Malden.

As part of his employment, Kelly was sworn in as a Massachusetts Special State Police Officer, giving him the ability to make arrests and conduct investigations. He was not employed by the Massachusetts State Police, however.

Kelly was arrested Thursday in Somerville, according to the district attorney’s office. His next court date is March 12 for a pre-trial hearing in Somerville District Court.