The former Oak Bluffs fire chief accused of videotaping a woman during sex without her knowledge is facing new charges.
John Rose, who led the fire department until 2020, is scheduled to be arraigned in Edgartown District Court next month on two counts of attempt to commit a crime.
The charges stem from an incident in December 2023, where investigators say Mr. Rose attempted to photograph or videotape a nude or partially nude person, according to documents filed with the court on June 28. The second charge was for attempting to pose or exhibit a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct.
Law enforcement officials previously said investigations into Mr. Rose were ongoing after he was initially arraigned in January for allegedly videotaping the woman without her consent.
Mr. Rose’s attorney Elliot Weinstein Tuesday confirmed the new case against his client, and said it would be dealt with “directly and aggressively.”
“This complaint was expected to be issued,” Mr. Weinstein said. “Ultimately, I don’t think it will amount to anything.”
He declined to comment further.
Details of the new charges were not immediately available and the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office also declined to comment.
Mr. Rose was scheduled to be in court on the previous case in late July, but the district attorney’s office asked for the hearing be delayed until Mr. Rose’s new arraignment on August 8.
Mr. Rose was arrested at Logan Airport in January after a woman told state police that Mr. Rose secretly taped her while they had sex. That investigation was initiated on Dec. 14 for an alleged secret recording of a child, prosecutor John Wheatley said at Mr. Rose’s first arraignment.
Mr. Rose served as the fire chief in Oak Bluffs for seven years before he stepped down in 2020 in the wake of a sexual harassment lawsuit. The town of Oak Bluffs settled the case, filed by a former administrator who claimed Mr. Rose was harassing her, for nearly $100,000.
Mr. Rose went on to be a firefighter in West Tisbury until he was suspended from that role in December.
Editor's note: a previous version of this article misstated the charges against Mr. Rose. He is facing two counts of attempt to commit a crime.
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