A Boston police sergeant who is accused of child rape made an appearance in court on Monday.
Paul Downey, 58, of West Roxbury, was charged with four charges of aggravated rape of a minor, two counts of paying for sex with a child under the age of 18, and two counts of electronically luring a child for commercial sex. He was arraigned Monday afternoon in the Dorchester division of the Boston Municipal Court. It’s still unclear what the particular accusations are.
According to court documents, Downey entered a not guilty plea. According to The Boston Globe, a court-appointed lawyer was unavailable because of the continuing bar advocate work stoppage, thus he was ordered to be held without bond.
Downey’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday.
According to city payroll records, Downey, a 34-year veteran of the Boston police force, received $268,369.10 in total compensation last year, which included almost $110,000 in overtime.
In a statement, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox announced that Downey was immediately placed on administrative leave.
Our thoughts are with any alleged victims, and these charges are clearly very troubling,” Cox stated. We trust the [Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office] and the Massachusetts State Police to carry out a comprehensive inquiry.
Abby Patkin covers a wide range of topics as a general assignment news reporter, including crime, public transportation, health, and everything in between. She has been reporting on the murder case of Karen Read.
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