Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is shedding light on the shake-up that occurred in the management of the state's sex offender registry board.The governor, in his first comments since returning from an overseas trade mission, cited a "cumulative loss of confidence" in officials at the board, which tracks and classifies sex offenders.
Among the factors cited was a recent settlement with a hearing officer who claimed to have been pressured to change a ruling in a case that involved Patrick's brother-in-law, and surfaced during his campaign for governor in 2006.
Board chairwoman Saundra Edwards was relieved of duty last week and executive director Jeanne Holmes was placed on leave.
Patrick said the shake-up also stemmed from rebukes of the board by the state's highest court and criticism that it had not updated its regulations.
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