Boston police officer of 30 years charged with child rape
Boston Police officer charged with child rape after being accused of paying child for sexual acts
Boston Police officer charged with child rape after being accused of paying child for sexual acts
A Boston Police officer of over 30 years has been charged with child rape after being accused of paying a 14-year-old for sexual acts.
Sergeant Paul Downey appeared in Boston Municipal Court in Dorchester on Monday.
A judge approved an arrest warrant for Sergeant Downey, who is charged with four counts of Rape of a Child Aggravated by Age Difference, two counts of Engaging in Sexual Conduct with a Child under 18 for a Fee, and two counts of Enticement of a Child under 18 to Engage in Commercial Sexual Activity. Downey was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday afternoon, but was held without bail because no defense attorney was available.
Downey allegedly met a 14-year-old boy on the dating app, Grind then the two moved the conversation to Snapchat, according to a statement of the case provided by the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
The 58-year-old Downey is accused of meeting the boy twice this spring, at different Boston locations, and paying the child for sexual acts. The boy allegedly provided state police detectives with a description of Downey and a partial license plate number which was tracked to a parking area for Boston Police.
Investigators also used digital records to track Downey's Snapchat account and claim the boy identified him in a photo lineup with "a 90% certainty."
Former Boston Police Academy instructor
Sources tell WBZ's I-Team that Downey used to be an instructor at the Boston Police Academy. According to Boston Police, he joined the force in 1991.
"These charges are obviously very troubling and our thoughts are with any alleged victims. We have faith in the Massachusetts State Police and the SCDAO to conduct a thorough investigation. The officer was immediately placed on administrative leave," said Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox in a statement.
Downey is expected to have an arraignment on Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Guards' All-Star Emmanuel Clase placed on paid leave as part of MLB sports betting investigation
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting. Clase, a three-time All-Star, becomes the second Guardians pitcher to be placed on leave in connection with a sports gambling probe. Luis Ortiz also is on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31. It was unclear if the cases were related in any way. The Guardians said in a statement that they 'have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted.' The 27-year-old Clase is 5-3 with 24 saves in 48 games this year, but he also has a career-high 3.23 ERA. The right-hander led the AL in saves in each of the previous three years and was speculated to be sought after in trades ahead of this week's MLB trade deadline. MLB said in a statement that Clase had been placed on leave per an agreement with the players' association while the league 'continues its sports betting investigation.' It declined further comment. Cleveland was slated to begin a three-game series against Colorado on Monday night. The Guardians are second in the AL Central with a 52-53 record. The Ortiz investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by the right-hander that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB. The situation with Clase and Ortiz comes after MLB suspended five players for gambling in June 2024, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023. Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers — San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher Andrew Saalfrank and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez — received one-year suspensions. Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games, and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league's investigation. ___ AP MLB: Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nancy Mace Reveals 1 Of Her ‘Favorite' Hobbies, And It's So Cruel People Think She's ‘Sick'
After spending her days terrorizing her colleagues and constituents, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) apparently likes to unwind by doing something that's so cartoonishly evil it sounds like something 'The Simpsons' would've written for Mr. Burns. On Sunday, Mace appeared on 'Fox Report Weekend' and shared one of her new 'favorite' hobbies with host Jon Scott. 'I have to tell you, one of my favorite things to watch on YouTube these days are the court hearings where illegals are in court, and ICE shows up to drag them out of court and deport them,' Mace said, presumably while stroking a white cat on her lap like a James Bond villain. Mace, unfortunately, continued, 'I can think of nothing more American today than keeping our streets safer by getting those violent criminals out of the United States of America, and we all have Donald J. Trump to thank for it.' Considering that the Trump administration's aggressive and inhumane deportation policies are unpopular with a majority of Americans, many users on X, formerly Twitter, were disgusted by Mace's remarks. A longer clip of Mace's appearance on 'Fox Report Weekend,' which was obtained by The Daily Beast, shows that Mace's Dr. Evil-esque comments were prompted by a graphic featured on Scott's show that read, 'Trump Crackdown in Sanctuary Cities.' The graphic seemed to indicate that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers in New York City have risen 400% since former President Joe Biden was in office. 'Clearly, there's a new sheriff in town,' Scott said. Mace agreed before adding the fun little tidbit that she's proposed a new bill to 'defund and take tax breaks' away from so-called sanctuary cities like New York. Trump and the Republican Party have long utilized racist rhetoric implying that all undocumented people are rapists and murderers. But recent data collected by the Deportation Data Project, a group that collects immigration numbers, indicates that about 30,000 people in immigration detention do not have a criminal record, NPR reports. Last week, HuffPost's Matt Shuham described what he saw over five days in immigration court in New York City this month. One of the more shocking quotes Shuham got during his time observing at the courthouse was from an unnamed federal agent involved with immigration court arrests. 'This is fishing in a stocked pool,' the agent told Shuham. 'You tell them, 'Show up at this location,' and then they show up and you grab them.' The agent also noted that special agents who deal with more complex crimes are being pulled off their assignments to do courthouse arrests. 'If you are a criminal,' the agent added, 'now is an easier time for you.' Related... I Watched 20 Arrests In Trump's America. Here's What They Looked Like. Nancy Mace Challenges Gavin Newsom To Debate So She Can 'Emasculate' Him Nancy Mace's 'Perverse' Migrant 'Dream' For Own State Gets Slammed Online
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Suspect in Michigan Walmart stabbings is charged with a rarely used state terrorism count
Suspect in Michigan Walmart stabbings is charged with a rarely used state terrorism count DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan prosecutor filed a terrorism charge Monday against a man accused of stabbing 11 people at a Walmart store. The charge has been rarely used in the state's courts since it was adopted more than 20 years ago during the national outrage over 9/11. Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg said she believes the charge fits because the weekend attack was intended to 'put fear in the entire community and to change how maybe we operate on a daily basis.' But proving that could be difficult. Bradford Gille, 42, has a history of mental health problems. A judge signed an order Friday, the day before the attack, telling police to find him and take him to a hospital because he was considered a risk to himself or others. Police said they were unable to find him. Moeggenberg also filed attempted murder charges, one for each Walmart stabbing victim. A not-guilty plea was entered for Gille, and bond was set at $100,000. A look at Michigan's terrorism law: Lawmakers respond to 9/11 The Michigan Legislature in 2002 created and amended a stack of anti-terrorism laws after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington. A terrorism crime is defined as an act "intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or influence or affect the conduct of government or a unit of government through intimidation or coercion.' A conviction carries a sentence of up to life in prison. 'I don't see the prosecutor being able to establish this,' sad Margaret Raben, a Detroit-area lawyer who has served as president of a statewide association of defense attorneys. 'It seems to have been a random thing, and the fact that he injured 11 people doesn't make it any less random." Gille's mental health will be an issue. He'll likely be evaluated to determine if he understands the charges and can assist his lawyer. Experts will also determine if he can be held criminally responsible. In 2016, Gille was accused of smashing a cemetery vault that had not yet been covered with grass, one of many encounters with local police over many years. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, according to Emmet County court records. 'He never should have been out on the street. It was just sad,' Karl Crawford, superintendent of Greenwood Cemetery in Petoskey, Michigan, told The Associated Press. School shooter convicted of terrorism There's no dispute that a terrorism charge is rare in Michigan. Wayne County, the largest in the state, has never used it, according to Maria Miller, a spokesperson for the prosecutor. The biggest case: the 2021 Oxford High School shooting in which four students were killed and more were wounded. Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to terrorism, murder and other crimes, and is serving a life sentence. He had planned the attack. It was the first time that a school shooter was convicted of terrorism in the United States, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said. 'The sheer force of destruction, violence, trauma and murder the shooter caused that day did not stop at the doorway of Oxford High School. It was carried through the doors and out into the community," McDonald said. ___ Associated Press reporter Corey Williams contributed. Ed White, The Associated Press
