Belmont man charged with raping girl in his home

A 59-year-old Belmont man was arrested and is facing a slew of charges after authorities say he sexually assaulted and photographed a girl in his home on multiple occasions.

Rickland Powell has been charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, distributing obscene matter to a minor, four counts of aggravated rape of a child, four counts of rape of a child with force, and posing a child in the nude, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. The victim was “known to him,” authorities said.

Local police executed a search warrant at Powell’s home after the allegations were reported on Tuesday and allegedly found media files, photos, and other items.

On Wednesday, “police received information that the defendant was in Andover, when police approached him the defendant fled in his vehicle at a high rate of speed,” the DA’s office said. “Rickland Powell was subsequently located this morning in the Middlesex Fells Reservation in Stoneham.”

Powell was arrested and taken to an area hospital, authorities said. They did not specify why Powell required treatment.

He was arraigned virtually Friday in Cambridge District Court and was held without bail pending a Dec. 8 dangerousness hearing.