Plymouth Police travel to North Carolina to arrest Brazilian native in child rape case

PLYMOUTH – From Plymouth Police: Members of the Plymouth Police Detective Bureau have returned from North Carolina with a suspect wanted by the Plymouth Police Department for multiple sex offenses. Werlen Luiz, a 48-year-old native of Brazil had been on the run since 2021. It had been thought he fled back to Brazil after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

In July 2024, Plymouth Police Detective Robert Shaw received information indicating that Luiz was somewhere in the United States. Over the past several months, Detective Shaw sought and obtained numerous search warrants that led to a location in Statesville, North Carolina, where on November 15th, Luiz was located and arrested by U.S. Marshals.

Luiz was booked at the Plymouth Police Headquarters on the following charges:
Rape of a child, ten year age difference (7 counts)
Assault and battery
Stangulation or suffocation

He was due to be arraigned in Plymouth District Court on December 6th.

The Plymouth Police Department would like to thank the Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz and the entire Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in the pursuit of justice for the citizens of Plymouth. While it has taken several years to locate and bring Werlen Luiz back to Massachusetts, this collaboration has shown their sincere commitment to our citizens.