FALL RIVER, Mass. — A jury has convicted a former Dartmouth Police officer of child rape and indecent assault and battery, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said Wednesday.
Shawn Souza was convicted late Wednesday afternoon after a three-day jury trial in Fall River Superior Court of two counts of aggravated rape of a child and one count each of rape of a child by force and indecent assault and battery of a person 14 or older, Quinn said in a statement.
Souza was taken into custody following his conviction. He will be sentenced in the Fall River Justice Center on Thursday morning, Quinn said.
Souza, then 37, was arrested on the charges in April 2019 at the Dartmouth Police station while he was at work. He had served with the Dartmouth Police Department since 2008.
Prosecutors and police said at the time that the reported incidents happened in Dartmouth, and they did not happen while Souza was on duty.
A report from the Department of Children and Families triggered an investigation into the allegations.
The Bristol County District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit led the investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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