WOBURN — Chelmsford Police Lt. Francis Goode Jr., 54, pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to charges stemming from an incident last year in which he is alleged to have interfered in the arrest of a Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department employee.

Goode was arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn, and is facing charges of tampering with a record, intimidation of a witness, and violation of the standards of conduct by a public employee.

Those charges stem from an incident on March 16, 2024, in which prosecutors allege that a younger Chelmsford Police officer pulled over Michael Caprigno, a Suffolk County jail officer sergeant, for suspected operating under the influence while driving in Chelmsford Center, after Caprigno nearly struck the officer’s vehicle with his own.

The officer from Chelmsford reportedly noticed signs of intoxication with Caprigno and placed him under arrest, after which Caprigno became hostile, according to prosecutors, and began telling officers he was employed by the Suffolk County sheriff.

Assistant District Attorney Mary O’Neill said during Goode’s arraignment that Caprigno “verbally abused” the arresting officers, who “did the appropriate thing” and brought him into the station to be jailed. When Caprigno was brought in, prosecutors allege he told Goode where he worked, and that Goode then ordered the officers to release Caprigno, to only write him up for a marked lanes violation and to alter the records of the arrest.

O’Neill said Goode “made certain changes himself” to those records to conceal Caprigno’s arrest.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Chelmsford Police Chief Colin Spence both said in statements after Goode’s indictment that Spence was informed of the incident in early December. According to Spence’s statement, the department had hired the outside firm Matthews & Matthews LLC of Boston to conduct an unrelated internal affairs investigation into allegations that Goode had violated policies and procedures. Goode was placed on administrative leave Dec. 3 during that investigation, which then uncovered the March 2024 incident that Spence said was brought to his attention on Dec. 9, at which point the matter was referred to the DA’s office.

The state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission was notified throughout the process, and on March 12 issued Goode a suspension order.

Goode was released Tuesday under his personal recognizance with the condition that he not contact Caprigno or any officers who were on the shift the incident allegedly occurred in.

On Monday, ahead of the arraignment, Goode’s attorney, Keith Nicholson, said in a statement that “there is a dispute about what actually took place, as well as what information was conveyed to Lt. Goode at the time.”

“It is clear that Lt. Goode is not alleged to have done anything to benefit himself at any time,” Nicholson said in the statement before pointing to Goode’s long tenure in Chelmsford. “He has been the recipient of numerous lifesaving awards and received commendations for meritorious service including the arrest of an individual during an armed home invasion which resulted in murder convictions in multiple states. He chose to remain in town where he got married and raised his children. He coached youth sports and was actively involved in the town outside of the job. He is also very proud to have served as a longtime union leader for the police department.”

Goode’s case is next scheduled for an April 10 hearing. Caprigno was also indicted last week on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and a violation of the standards of conduct as a public employee.

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This is a developing story.