Charges Dropped Against Orleans Officer

ORLEANS – Charges against an Orleans police officer were dismissed last week in Orleans District Court, but the officer remains under suspension.

Dylan Reid, 27, of West Yarmouth was arrested Aug. 28 in Dennis following an alleged altercation with his girlfriend. He was arraigned Aug. 31 on charges of assault and battery on a family or household member and intimidation of a witness/juror/police/court official.

The state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) suspended Reid’s certification following his arrest and he was placed on paid administrative leave from the department. The commission was established in 2020 to “implement mandatory certification, training, and discipline processes for all peace officers in the Commonwealth,” according to the commission’s mission statement.

According to court records, Reid invoked the fifth amendment and both charges were dismissed due to insufficient evidence during a pretrial hearing on Sept. 17. But Orleans Police Chief Scott MacDonald said that the department is still conducting its own investigation into the matter.

“Now that the criminal portion has been disposed of, we’re still going to be moving forward administratively to see if there were any violations of rules, regulations or policies of the department,” he said. “If there were, then we will take appropriate action.”

According to a police report, police were called to the area of Lower County Road and Bain Road in Dennis at 10 p.m. on Aug. 28. Police arrived to find a woman with her car pulled over to the side of the road, as well as a man later identified as Reid walking along Bain Road.

The woman reported that “she had gotten into a physical altercation with her boyfriend in the car,” according to the report.

The report said that the woman went into an area bar to find Reid, with whom she was reportedly upset for failing to take care of her dogs. After leaving the bar and getting in the woman’s vehicle, Reid allegedly hit the woman in the right arm while she was driving after she tried to prevent him from exiting the moving vehicle.

The woman gave a conflicting report to another officer in which she stated that she struck Reid first, after which Reid grabbed her arm in an attempt to get her to pull the vehicle over, according to the police report.

Reid also allegedly threatened to “beat” the woman “until her family did not recognize her face,” according to the report. He also allegedly took the woman’s phone to keep her from calling 911.

Police said that Reid “was coherent and calm” in their interaction with him, and that “he did not appear to be overly intoxicated.” He told police that he had been drinking since 2:30 p.m. that afternoon, according to the report.

Reid told police that the woman had struck him multiple times including once in the face, and that he grabbed her arm to prevent her from hitting him, according to the report. Reid also reportedly told police that he grabbed the woman’s phone because he “panicked,” and that he threatened to knock the woman out if she refused to stop hitting him.

Reid was placed under arrest, while the woman, Wendy Amador, was issued a criminal summons for assault and battery on a family or household member, according to the report.

As for Reid’s suspension, MacDonald said that it is up to POST as to if or when Reid’s certification will be reinstated, adding that POST may choose to conduct its own investigation into the matter.

“Utilimately it is POST’s decision as to what they do with their certification,” MacDonald said. “That is not my decision.”