James Feeley in Boston Municipal Court, East Boston Division, on Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023. He’s charged with rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a child.
A former police officer from Winthrop, Massachusetts, who was arrested on suspicions of raping a child late last year is now facing additional charges, according to the district attorney.
Lt. James Feeley, 56, is scheduled to be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court Thursday on charges of aggravated rape and seven counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office did not release additional details Wednesday.
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Feeley was already facing child rape charges after he allegedly made a confession to his chief and other police officers on Christmas 2023.
Court documents said that incident took place overnight after Christmas. The alleged victim, who was taken to Boston Children's Hospital the following day, described being sexually assaulted by Feeley, and that the sexual assaults had begun about a year prior, according to a state police arrest narrative. Another court document described Feeley, a longtime member of the department, confessing to other members of Winthrop police at a cemetery in Swampscott.
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Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
A judge ordered Feeley held on $200,000 cash bail, and to stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim.
Feeley was also ordered to wear an ankle monitor upon his release and stay away from the alleged victim's home, as well as to surrender his passport and firearms and have no contact with children under 14. The judge, who denied his request to hide his face from cameras, issued a protective order for the alleged victim.
Feeley was initially placed on administrative leave, Winthrop Police Chief Terence Delehanty said in a statement in December. In January, Delehanty said Feely was no longer with the department, but did not specify when the separation took place or how it happened.
Feeley served in the Winthrop Police Department for 21 years and was promoted to lieutenant in 2020. Photos from the department's Facebook page show him participating in various community events over the years.
