The mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts has been charged with assault and battery in connection with allegations that he inappropriately made physical contact with a Brockton High School student. Court documents revealed that Moises Rodrigues is being charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, following a hearing in August 2026 that determined there was probable cause to bring charges against him.
The alleged incident took place during a parade earlier this year in May, where Rodrigues was seen dancing and marching. A high school student who was performing with the marching band during the event alleges that the mayor touched her in a manner that made her feel uncomfortable. The hearing came after an earlier court proceeding that involved the student seeking a harassment prevention order.
A judge later terminated the order. Rodrigues has issued an apology, going on to claim that he never intended to make the student or anyone else feel uncomfortable. During the parade, the mayor allegedly grabbed the student and pulled her toward him in a way that left her upset. During a hearing on August 7, Clerk-Magistrate Pamela Guavin-Fernandes, who is a captain with the Massachusetts State Police and investigated the situation, said that charges against the mayor were warranted.
According to a report from WGBH, the situation was catapulted into the public eye when the student’s mother interrupted Brockton High School’s graduation ceremony, screaming at Rodrigues as he gave an address from the podium. Another student from the school also complained that the mayor had touched her inappropriately during a different school event.
Local law enforcement officials have launched an investigation into that case as well. During the graduation ceremony in June, the first student’s mother came up to the podium while Rodrigues was giving an address to parents and graduates, and shouted, “You have to [expletive] get out of here. You know what you did to my daughter.”
“You know what you did to my daughter. You have to [expletive] get out of here,” the angry mother added. The report then revealed that officials with Brockton Public Schools urged the mayor not to attend the ceremony. He informed them that he had an obligation to be present at the event, but chose not to hand out diplomas and avoided making inadvertent contact with his accuser.
He claimed at the time not to know the identity of the student. State Police assigned to the Plymouth County district attorney’s office carried out the investigation into the allegations and brought the potential charge of assault and battery against the embattled mayor. The teenager was granted a two-week temporary harassment prevention order against Rodrigues not long after graduation.
"*" indicates required fields
In June, a judge declined to extend the order, saying that though Rodrigues’ behavior was “unwelcome, offensive and certainly unprofessional,” it failed to meet the criteria for the restraining order to be continued. The judge said the student did not establish that an incident of indecent assault and battery took place, or that she had been the victim of three incidents of willful and malicious conduct.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video