Dedham man attacked in front of courthouse after getting no jail time for serving alcohol at party where teen drowned, lawyer says

Crime

James and Leslie Coughlin pleaded guilty to supplying alcohol to minors at the 2021 graduation party where Alonzo Polk drowned.

A retired Massachusetts State Police captain was attacked outside a Dedham courthouse Monday after he and his wife were sentenced on charges stemming from a 2021 graduation party where a teenager drowned.

James and Leslie Coughlin were each given a one-year suspended sentence and community service after pleading guilty to supplying alcohol to minors. The Dedham couple also admitted there were sufficient facts for them to be found guilty on a charge of reckless endangerment of a child, though the judge continued that charge without a finding.

Monday’s sentencing resolved charges stemming from the death of 17-year-old Alonzo Polk, who was pulled unresponsive from the Coughlins’ pool during a high school graduation party. 

Brian Kelly, the couple’s lawyer, asserted in a court filing that toxicology tests showed Polk had no alcohol in his system on the night of the party. Kelly has also asserted that Polk was pushed into the pool by a friend who was unaware the teen couldn’t swim. 

As the Coughlins’ case moved through the court system, Polk’s family mounted calls for justice in the teen’s death, even holding a march from Polk’s home on Mount Vernon Street to the Coughlins’ Netta Road house. 

“I don’t care what I have to do, I want justice for my son. Everybody else’s kids are here, and my son is gone,” Debra Rowell — Polk’s mother — said at the time, according to Boston 25 News. 

Earlier this year, the Coughlins successfully petitioned the court to prohibit displays of support for Polk outside the courthouse if the case proceeded to trial. They asserted that the family’s supporters had “harassed and intimidated multiple potential witnesses” in the case, with one witness allegedly punched in the face after refusing to change his story. 

The couple also said they had faced threats and intimidation themselves.

On Monday, Kelly told The Boston Globe that James Coughlin was “brutally attacked from behind” as he was leaving Dedham District Court. The alleged assailants had reportedly been inside the courtroom during the hearing.

According to the Globe, Kelly described the incident as a “wild melee,” during which several people kicked and hit Coughlin and another retired trooper who tried to intervene.

In a press release, the Dedham Police Department confirmed that a physical altercation occurred in the street near the courthouse at 10:38 a.m. Monday. 

“Several officers already in the area along with Court Personnel and others intervened to stop the altercation and restore order,” Dedham police said. 

Two people were evaluated for injuries at the scene but refused to be taken to a hospital for further evaluation, according to police. The department did not mention whether anyone was arrested, but said an investigation is underway. 

“It’s totally crazy that something like this would happen in the middle of Dedham after a court proceeding,” Kelly told the Globe. “We hope the [district attorney]’s office will bring the appropriate charges and not permit our criminal justice system to be replaced by mob justice.”