Child Rape Suspect Held on $100,000 Bail

Raymond DePaula of Marblehead was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail Monday for allegedly raping a 6-year-old girl and posting online photographs of him engaging in sexual acts with the child.

DePaula, 40, of 23 Puritan Road, was arraigned in Salem Superior Court on the charges as well as those alleging he possessed child pornography and improperly stored a firearm, said Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokeswoman for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodget's office.

On July 11, DePaula was indicted by an Essex County grand jury. He is due back in Salem Superior Court for a hearing Aug. 16.

Earlier, on June 13, Homeland Security agents and Marblehead police executed a search warrant and arrested DePaula at home for allegedly breaking state laws related to the production of child pornography. He was also charged with child rape. 

The arrest was part of a large sweep that netted the arrests of more than 250 alleged child predators. 

According to police reports released to the press earlier, authorities acquired several images posted online that show DePaula in the act of having sex with a young female. In total, there are 17 pictures that show the child in "nude or sexually suggestive poses," according to police.

Marblehead Sgt. Sean Brady said earlier that he was contacted by the Department of Homeland Security, which was investigating an open child pornography case involving DePaula, and was informed that new images were posted online directly from a digital camera on June 6. That camera was found in DePaula's home and retrieved by police, along with other evidence.