Two Massachusetts state police troopers have been suspended with pay amid an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that reportedly took place this summer at the state police barracks on Martha’s Vineyard. The incident involved one trooper visiting a friend stationed at the barracks, according to officials.

The suspended officers are Ryan T. Costello and Robert Branca, both assigned to the Martha’s Vineyard barracks at the time of the incident. State police have released limited information regarding their specific involvement. Costello graduated from the state police academy in 2022 and was on a temporary duty assignment to the Oak Bluffs barracks until early September. Branca, who graduated in 2005, was a longtime trooper stationed on the Vineyard and had been assigned to Oak Bluffs until his recent suspension.

In response to the allegations, state police superintendent Colonel Geoffrey Noble said swift action was taken as soon as leadership was informed. “I will not stop — this department will not stop — until we have a complete picture of what occurred,” Noble said in a Friday interview.

The state police have also issued a new directive banning overnight guests in housing used by seasonal troopers on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. This move aims to prevent circumstances similar to those surrounding the current investigation.

Branca has spent his entire career in the agency’s division of field services and earned $182,000 in 2025, according to state payroll records. Costello, also assigned to field services, earned $136,000 last year. After his temporary assignment ended on September 5, Costello was relieved of duty on September 26, placed on administrative leave the following day, then moved to restricted duty on October 1 before being suspended with pay.

The Cape and Islands district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to provide details on the troopers’ roles. However, it noted that the state police internal affairs division has been cooperating fully with the investigation.

The case remains under active review, with the state police and local prosecutors continuing their inquiries into the circumstances of the alleged assault.