LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - A stash of drugs, firearms, and ammunition was found at the home of Lawrence police officer who is charged with raping a 13-year-old boy he met on an online dating app, prosecutors said.
Gil Nason, an attorney representing 49-year-old Carlos Vieira, returned to court Wednesday, one day after his client was ordered jailed without bail, to make a case that the officer was being held illegally in a Western Massachusetts prison.
Vieira’s attorney said his client denies the charges and believes it is a case of mistaken identity.
Prosecutors argued that Vieira was dangerous and should remain held, expressing concerns about 21 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition that were found in his home following his arrest.
“Of the guns that they seized from his home, there are some guns that they seized that were not registered,” prosecutor Kim Faitella said.
When asked by 7’s Steve Cooper if Vieira was plotting something sinister, Nason said, “You think about a police officer or anyone that collects guns, they probably have quite a few guns.”
Faitella said investigators also seized several prescription pill bottles, including Oxycontin, along with an AR-15 rifle and 10 magazines in his personal vehicle.
Nason claims that pills were Ibuprofen and that Vieira had the weapon in his vehicle because he was in training.
Not guilty pleas to charges of aggravated rape of a child and indecent assault and battery of a child under 14 have been entered on Vieira’s behalf.
Officials began investigating the 49-year-old Vieira in January when the boy’s mother contacted authorities. The mother alleged her son met Vieira last summer and engaged in sexual activity with him.
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