Maj. Gen. Carter Resigns Gov. Deval Patrick this week accepted the resignation of Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter, the Massachusetts National Guard commander who was under investigation for an alleged rape in Florida in 1984.

Mr. Carter was police chief in Oak Bluffs from June 1998 to December 2002, when he left his post to take over as chief of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) police department, tapped by then-Governor-elect Mitt Romney’s transition team for the job. He took over as National Guard commander in 2007.

Mr. Carter was placed on paid leave by Governor Patrick in March of this year pending a criminal investigation by the U.S. Army. Army investigators said in a report that the investigation was inconclusive and that Mr. Carter would not be prosecuted.

“Although the investigators were unable to reach definitive conclusions about the allegations and federal authorities declined to prosecute, the report raises serious concerns about the general’s actions and his response to the allegations,” the governor said in a statement. “It is clear to me that General Carter can no longer serve as Adjutant General.”