Marblehead Child Porn, Weapons Case Moves Forward

A Marblehead man accused of possessing 13 unregistered guns, three packages of marijuana and child pornography in his home on Puritan Road earlier this year had his case continued last week in Lynn District Court.

At his arraignment in August, Raymond Depaula, 39, of 23 Puritan Road, Marblehead, pleaded not guilty to 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.

Judge Stacey J. Fortes-White ordered Depaula held on $20,000 cash bail - an amount he reportedly posted on Aug. 22.

The case was moved to gun court on Sept. 5, and he has since hired defense attorney H. Drew Romanovitz.

On the morning of Aug. 15, local officers, working in cooperation with the State Police and representatives of the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly arrived at Depaula's home and he granted them permission to search the premises and his two computers, according to court documents.

During the search, police reportedly found 13 unregistered firearms. Five of the weapons 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 computer and found pornographic images of children performing sexual acts on adults.

"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 at his arraignment.

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 guns reportedly found by police:

• .22 caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol
• .22 caliber Beretta semi-automatic pistol
• .22 caliber Iver Johnson revolver
• .357 Magnum caliber Sturm Ruger
• .38 Special caliber Colt revolver
• .38 Special caliber Smith & Wesson revolver
• .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver
• .38 caliber Rossi revolver
• .22 caliber Remington bolt-action rifle
• .30 caliber Marlin lever-action rifle
• .22 caliber Remington bolt-action rifle
• 12 gauge Harrington & Richardson shotgun
• 12 gauge Mossberg shotgun

Depaula also has a prior arrest for statutory rape.

At his arraignment, his lawyer noted 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.

While his case is pending, Depaula has been ordered to stay away from and have no contact with children under the age of 16.

He is now scheduled to return to gun court on Feb. 7 for a pretrial hearing, according to court documents.

Marblehead Patch will be posting updates as they become available.