Marblehead Man Arraigned on Child Porn, Gun and Drug Charges

A Marblehead man was ordered held on $20,000 cash bail Thursday after police reportedly found 13 guns, three packages of marijuana and child pornography in his home on Puritan Road.

Raymond DePaula, 39, of 23 Puritan Road, Marblehead, pleaded not guilty Thursday in Lynn District Court to charges of possessing child pornography, possessing a class D substance (marijuana), 8 counts of improperly storing a firearm and 13 counts of possessing a firearm without a firearms identification card.

At 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, local officers, working in cooperation with the State Police and representatives of the Department of Homeland Security reportedly arrived at DePaula's Puritan Road home and he granted them permission to search the premises and his two computers, according to court documents.

During the search, police reportedly found "" including revolvers and semi-automatic weapons. Five of the handguns were reportedly stored in a locked safe in DePaula's closet - the other 8 were reportedly found unsecured in an unlocked gun chest in a different closet.

Police also reportedly searched DePaula's home computer and found pornographic images of children performing sexual acts on adults. When a prosecutor described the alleged photos in graphic detail in court, DePaula closed his eyes and shook his head.

"The investigation is ongoing and police expect an additional forensic search of his computer will lead to further charges with significant and severe penalties," a prosecutor said Thursday.

DePaula reportedly admitted to viewing child pornography but denied sending it anyone else, according to police.

Also found at DePaula's home were three containers of marijuana, two of which were reportedly located in his freezer. The marijuana reportedly weighed out to approximately 1.5 ounces, according to court documents.

The make and model of the guns found at DePaula's home were not immediately available as his court hearing went beyond when the Lynn District Court clerk's office closes.

Marblehead Patch will be posting full details about the firearms tomorrow morning.

The prosecution argued that DePaula's bail should be high because he has a prior arrest for statutory rape.

DePaula's lawyer argued that a sealed statutory rape case he had continued without a finding in 1995 stemmed from a relationship Depaula had with a 15-year-old when he was 18.

DePaula is a lifelong Marblehead resident who has lived at his home on Puritan Road for more than 30 years, his attorney said.

Judge Stacey J. Fortes-White ordered DePaula held on $20,000 cash bail and ordered that if he posts that amount that he stay away from and have no contact with children under the age of 16.

Fortes-White scheduled him to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 5.