Bail lowered for officer charged with child rape

LAWRENCE, Mass. — A Massachusetts police officer charged with raping a 13-year-old boy could soon be getting out of jail.

Initially, a judge denied bail for Lawrence Officer Carlos Vieira, then Tuesday had bail set for him at $75,000. On Wednesday, a Superior Court judge substantially lowered his bail to $10,000

A judge on Tuesday said Lawrence Officer Carlos Vieira can be freed on bail under certain conditions, but he must first account for one of 20 firearms he owns that remains missing. The rest have been confiscated by investigators.

Original report: Lawrence police officer accused of raping boy he met on social media

The 49-year-old Vieira is charged with aggravated rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14 for his alleged encounter last summer with a boy he met on an online dating app.

He pleaded not guilty and his lawyer calls it a case of mistaken identity.

Officials began investigating in January when the boy's mother contacted authorities. The department has placed him on administrative leave.

It is also emerging that the 13-year-old boy accusing Vieira may also be accusing another man in a similar child rape case.

>> MORE: Defense says Lawrence cop accused of rape is being illegally held in jail

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Cox Media Group