A retired Massachusetts police officer accused of rape has now been indicted by an Essex County grand jury.
Perry Collins, a former officer with the Rowley Police Department, retired last spring. He was still working as a patrol officer when the alleged rape occurred while he was off-duty.
Collins was tight-lipped when he headed back into court for a probable cause hearing. There was no reply when NBC10 Boston asked him if he wanted to respond to the allegations, or if he felt he had betrayed his oath as a police officer.
The man who wore the badge of the Rowley Police Department for more than 30 years is accused of sexually assaulting a woman who was known to him.
Records obtained by the NBC10 Boston Investigators show Collins was the subject of a dozen internal affairs investigations during his career and faced warnings or discipline in six.
The most serious was for abuse of overtime while working as the department's court officer in Newburyport District Court -- the very court where he stood accused on Friday.
The Rowley Police Department found Collins submitted overtime for hours never worked or just showed up to court when he wasn't needed. He was also reprimanded for manipulating the hours of details for his own benefit and ignoring a call for a well-being check.
None of the cases were similar to the rape allegations he now faces.
Collins has entered a not guilty plea in this case. He'll be arraigned in Essex Superior Court in April. He's collecting a $66,000 a year pension, but could lose that if convicted.
His lawyer had no comment Friday.
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