Onetime head of state police has a really…rocky day

The Mass. State Police are having a very bad year, and their former boss, ex-Col. John DiFava, had a very, very bad day last May 18.

At 9:43 a.m. that Sunday morning, MBTA Officer Nora Carroll was patrolling the Bellevue commuter rail station in West Roxbury when she came upon an elderly gray-haired man with a mustache picking stones off the rail bed and stuffing them into a bag.

The perp’s name: John DiFava, formerly the superintendent of the breathtakingly corrupt MSP, now chief of the MIT police.

Let’s go straight to the MBTA police report.

“I approached DiFava and told him to get off the tracks. DiFava looked up and said, ‘Yeah one second lady.’ I again told DiFava to exit the track and he complied. I told DiFava to empty the stones from the plastic bag. DiFava responded, ‘What the (bleep), like I committed a (bleeping) crime lady. I need these rocks for my mom’s planter.’”

What? This guy’s state pension alone is $123,764 a year. I asked MIT how much he makes as chief, but they wouldn’t tell me. Altogether, he probably grabs north of $275,000 a year. He can’t buy his own rocks, he has to, well, steal them, from the MBTA?

But he used to be a trooper. I think that explains a lot. At least 46 troopers – the ones who are currently supended and/or indicted – can feel the Colonel’s pain. Busted!

Multiple calls were placed to DiFava yesterday in an attempt to get his side of the story of the rocks for Ma’s planter, and his encounter with the local constabulary.

Through MIT, he issued this statement:

“I was collecting a few small rocks for a plante I was taking to my mother for Mother’s Day. I meant no disrespect to a fellow law enforcement officer, apologized to the officer at the time, and regret this entire incident.”

He did it for his ma! Top o’ the world, ma, top o’ the world!

MIT’s official statement, in part:

“Chief DiFava notified his immediate supervisor the first day after the incident occurred. MIT discussed the details with Chief DiFava and carefully reviewed the situation.”

Back to the incident report:

“Difava emptied the bag and then began to yell about his bad day.”

Bad day? Let me tell you what a bad day is for a Massachusetts state trooper. It’s doin’ the perp walk out on Northern Avenue in front of the federal courthouse. Turn on the TV tonight and most likelythe feds’ll be dragging in a few more. The charge is usually embezzlement, for starters.

“DiFava said, his wife kicked him out of the house and I was making his day worse.”

Kicked him out of the house? So he runs down to Centre Street and starts pilfering rocks from the rail bed?

“I asked DiFava for identification, he replied, ‘I’m not giving you my ID. I didn’t do anything illegal.’ I explained to DiFava trespassing on the right of way is illegal and he became more agitated.”

Agitated? Who does he think he is? A hack state judge’s junkie daughter?

“I called the Transit Police Dispatch for a back-up unit. DiFava eventually gave me a work ID and his social security number. DiFava continued to cuss and yell about his life circumstances.”

Life circumstances? Tell it to Trooper Leigha Genduso, busted off the job just because she’s admitted in federal court to perjury, kingpin-level drug dealing, income tax evasion and money laundering.

And then Trooper Genduso got hired at a bar in her gangster ex-boyfriend’s hometown of Danvers, and a brawl broke out, after which she lost that job. And it got worse – after no one tipped off the cops about the affray until I did the next day, the board of selectmen scheduled a hearing to discuss why no one at the bar called 911.

Leigha Genduso – now there’s someone who’s got a right to sing the blues!

“A wants and warrant check were conducted with negative results.”

No warrants? I guess DiFava was never a member of Troop E.

“DiFava was told to stay off the tracks and leave the station.”

In other words, the T lady cop told him, “Hey Colonel, screw!”

Which of course made his already very bad day worse. But it could have been even worse, Colonel. She could have said the magic words to you that so many of your fellow troopers hear every day now:

“Colonel, you have the right to remain silent….”