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Lawrence Police Officer Arrested For Child Rape

LAWRENCE (CBS) – A Lawrence police officer accused of raping a child has been arrested.

Officer Carlos Vieira has been charged with two counts of aggravated rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault & battery on a child under 14.

The alleged victim's mother contacted police after she said her 13-year-old son met the 49-year-old officer using a social media app last summer.

"This is an ongoing investigation, but the allegations against Officer Vieira are extremely troubling, and we take them very seriously," Lawrence Police Chief Roy Vasque said.

Vieira has been a member of the Lawrence Police Department since 1999. He has been placed on administrative leave and will be arraigned Tuesday.

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera says he is "angry, sickened, dismayed and saddened" by the charges.

"We have worked very hard to improve and uplift the professionalism of the Lawrence Police Department," Mayor Rivera said in a statement. "We have fired and forced out many officers who did not meet and could not stand up to the code of conduct and the high level of professionalism that my office, the chief of police and the men and women and leadership of the Police Unions have worked to establish. If found to be true we will move swiftly to remove the officer involved. This is a travesty."

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