Massachusetts Correctional Officer Charged with Raping Inmate

WOBURN, Mass. (WPRI) — A Pawtucket man was arrested Wednesday on charges of repeatedly assaulting a female inmate at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan announced.

Joao Gomes, 49, has been charged with four counts of rape and three counts of assault and battery.

Ryan said Gomes was working as a prison guard at the time of the attack. He is also accused of buying underwear for female prisoners and has been charged with three counts of providing items to prisoners.

According to Ryan, Gomes is the first person in Middlesex County to be charged with rape under a statute passed nearly four years ago that addresses sexual relations between law enforcement officers and inmates.

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