A Boston firefighter and foster parent who lives on Cape Cod is facing child rape charges.
Edward Kulik Jr., a 56, of the Centerville section of Barnstable, Massachusetts, is charged with three counts of rape of a child with force, three counts of rape and one count of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older. A court clerk said the alleged assaults occurred in 2010 and 2012.
Kulik has been with the Boston Fire Department for 31 years, but the department said he has been going through the retirement process and has not been an active firefighter for the past several months.
According to a Boston Herald city payroll database, he is a fire lieutenant and earned $130,000 in 2016 - almost all of which was injury pay.
According to social services program Massachusetts Mentor, Kulik was a foster parent with the organization from 2011 to 2013, taking in children.
In a statement, Massachusetts Mentor said that children's safety is the "highest priority," adding that background checks, as required, were conducted annually on Kulik.
The Boston Fire Department issued a statement Wednesday saying, "These disturbing, serious allegations warrant our full attention and the Boston Fire Department will monitor and take swift appropriate action if and when it's necessary." The department said it works hard to earn the trust of Boston residents, and the allegations against Kulik "gravely contradict our values."
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Kulik did not answer his door, but one neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said he lives alone.
"I consider him a very nice guy, a very solid guy," she said.
He was arraigned Wednesday morning in Barnstable District Court and bail was set at $3,500. Conditions of release include GPS monitoring, staying away from all persons under 16, staying away from schools with students under 16 and having no contact with the alleged victim.
Kulik is scheduled to return to court on April 24 for a pre-trial hearing.
