Former Explorer Ashley Bell Recounts Disturbing Encounters with Ex-Deputy Chief Robert Divine

The Police Explorers Program and Blurred Lines

• 💡 The Stoughton, Massachusetts Police Explorers program, led by ex-Deputy Chief Robert Divine, blurred lines between mentorship and friendship, and authority figure and peer.
• ⚠️ Divine's behavior included swearing, discussing colleagues, and inappropriate physical contact, such as smacking his wife's posterior in front of young members.
• 🎯 Girls from troubled homes were particularly drawn to Divine, who surrounded himself with them, creating an environment where admiration was fostered.

Ashley Bell's Personal Experiences with Divine

• 💔 Ashley Bell, a 12-year-old in the program, developed a crush on Robert Divine and gave him a handwritten love letter, which he did not discourage.
• 🚪 In a "closet incident," Divine brought a 12-year-old Bell into a gym closet, lifted her onto a desk, kissed her forehead, hugged her, called her a "knockout," and stated they had an "age gap" but he would take her out when she turned 18.
• 🗑️ Bell's mother discovered a rough draft of another love letter and confronted Divine at the police station; he had apparently retrieved it from the trash without informing anyone.

Parallels to Sandra Blandmore's Tragedy

• 🔍 Bell draws disturbing parallels between her experiences and those of Sandra Blandmore, who was found dead in her apartment and whose death was initially ruled a suicide before being reclassified as a homicide.
• 💔 Blandmore, also a member of the Police Explorers program, allegedly had inappropriate relationships with officers, including Matthew Farwell (charged with her murder), his twin brother William Farwell, and Robert Divine.
• 😔 Bell expresses that while she was lucky to move away, Blandmore bore the brunt of these interactions, which ultimately cost her life.

Divine's Testimony and Departure

• 🗣️ Divine testified before an oversight board, claiming Blandmore propositioned officers for sex and denying communications under the alias "Marty Riggs."
• 🚫 The oversight board found "overwhelming evidence to the contrary" and deemed Divine's behavior deplorable, leading to his retirement from the force.
• ⚖️ Despite the findings, Robert Divine is not facing criminal charges in connection with Sandra Blandmore's death.