Carlos Vieira, the Lawrence police officer arrested Monday on child rape charges, was taken into custody at the Haverhill Police station on Bailey Boulevard, where he spent a portion of the day taking a training course with other officers.
Arrested by Massachusetts State Police without incident, Vieira appeared in Lawrence District Court Tuesday to be formally charged with two counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. He was ordered held without bail pending a hearing later this week to determine if he is a danger to himself or others.
It was not clear what type of training Vieira was in Haverhill for. He has since been placed on administrative leave by the Lawrence Police Department.
The 49-year-old’s arrest brings an end to a month-long investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s office, according to Carrie Kimball, a spokesman for District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett.
According to Kimball, the investigation began when the victim’s mother contacted the office to report her son had allegedly had sexual contact with Vieira in summer 2018 after meeting on a social media app. He was 13 at the time.