Boston officer on leave arrested after allegedly taking squad car

BOSTON (AP / MyFoxBoston.com) - A Boston Police officer who has been on administrative leave has been arrested on charges he used a police vehicle without authorization.

The Boston Globe reports Patrick Donovan took a police vehicle from the Boston Police Department in Dorchester and drove it to Revere, where he was involved in a domestic incident with his domestic partner.

Police spokeswoman Rachel McGuire says the alleged incidents occurred between 5 p.m. and midnight on Friday. She says police arrested Donovan after finding the vehicle near his residence Friday night.

Revere police are investigating the domestic incident.

It was not known Sunday if Donovan is represented by a lawyer.

According to the Boston Herald, Donovan was hired in 2002. He was arrested on the felony charge of "use of a department motor vehicle without authority."

Donovan had been on leave since September 2013 after criminal larceny charges were raised by Boston police.

The department has been taking steps to terminate his employment.

"We take any reports of incidents like these very seriously. We have every confidence that the Boston Police Department will handle this matter appropriately," said Kate Norton, the press secretary for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, in a statement.

Cox Media Group