Mitchell Walsh, 28, is a police officer in Fall River, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. While he was on extended leave from the Fall River Police Department due to a substance abuse issue, he was arrested on human trafficking and drug charges.
Fall River is the 10th largest city in Massachusetts. Paul Coogan has been the mayor of the city since 2015.
From May 2022 to September 2024, Paul Gauvin was the FRPD chief. In October 2024, Coogan named Kelly Furtado as the interim chief of the department.
In 1988, Furtado joined the department. In 2022, he was promoted to captain.
Mitchell Walsh
While employed as an FRPD officer, Walsh visited a website used by people who trafficked and individuals looking to pay for sex from victims. For six weeks, he communicated with someone he thought was a girl aged 15 and agreed to meet in Charlestown, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts for sex.
On April 4, 2025, Walsh told the purported girl he would bring cocaine and vodka for their meeting. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually communicating with an undercover officer.
When Walsh arrived in a Dodge Ram 1500 and parked at a Target in Charlestown, he was arrested by members of the Boston Police Department‘s human trafficking team and the Massachusetts State Police. Cocaine and alcohol were found in his car.
Walsh charged with enticement of a child under 16, sexual conduct for a fee with a child, possession with intent to distribute a Class B drug and attempting to commit a crime to wit attempted rape of a child. On April 7, 2025, he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and was released on $5,000 bail.
As part of Walsh’s bail condition, he was required to surrender his passport and undergo substance use evaluation through the court. he is also prohibited from contacting children children under the age of 18.
According to the FRPD, Walsh’s employment status is being reviewed. On May 5, 2025, he will be back in court.
CONAN Daily 