A Massachusetts police officer was arraigned Wednesday on a charge accusing him of raping a 20-year-old man on Halloween.
Brian Butler, a veteran police officer in Salem and husband of the city’s police chief, was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail on rape and indecent assault and battery charges, said Essex County prosecutors. State police arrested Butler on Tuesday.
“Like many in our community, I am surprised and deeply saddened by the allegations made against Officer Brian Butler,” Mayor Kimberly Driscoll said in a news release. “While the incident is still under review, there is no doubt that this is a serious issue involving his conduct as a police officer while on duty.” The alleged assault occurred while the victim was intoxicated and arrested by police after flooding a Salem hotel room with water, the NBC affiliate in Boston reported. Butler allegedly assaulted the man in a broom closet at the police department.
The mayor said the city plans to immediately begin proceedings to fire Butler.