WALPOLE, Mass. (AP) -- It could take up to a week to process all the paperwork before former New England Patriots player and high school football coach Danny Villa returns to Massachusetts to face charges that he raped a child.

Walpole Police Chief Richard Stillman said Villa surrendered to Tucson authorities in his native Arizona at about 9 p.m. Saturday and he plans to waive extradition. He faces three counts of rape of a child over 14 and three counts of enticing a minor.

The 44-year-old Villa had been working as a football coach at Walpole High School. He resigned Tuesday, hours after Walpole School Superintendent Lincoln Lynch confronted him over allegations of criminal misconduct and placed him on paid administrative leave.

In a written statement, Lynch said he had received "a credible parent complaint related to the conduct of Mr. Daniel Villa" and after meeting with Villa "officially accepted his resignation from all positions at the Walpole Public Schools."

Villa's lawyer Heather Baer released a statement late Saturday saying that Walpole police had been told on Friday that Villa would surrender after returning from Arizona.

"On learning this afternoon that Arizona police were nevertheless seeking to arrest him on the Massachusetts charges, Mr. Villa turned himself in to local authorities," the statement said. "Mr. Villa intends to plead not guilty at his arraignment in Massachusetts."

Stillman said the arrest has undermined trust in the town of 24,000 located about 30 miles outside of Boston.

"Whenever there is a person of trust that violates that trust it obviously has a tremendous impact on the community as well as the state at large," Stillman told reporters. "Everyone at large is affected by that. It's a real disappointment to everybody."

Among the hardest hit were students and former Walpole High School football players, like Tim Pelletier who graduated in 2005 and played for Villa.

"He was a great coach, a great guy." Pelletier told WBZ-TV. "He was almost like a second father to all the players."

Villa led one of the most successful high school football programs in the state, capping an undefeated season with a championship earlier this month.

Villa played offensive line in the NFL for 12 seasons, including six with the Patriots and one with the Arizona Cardinals in 1992.

He starred at Arizona State from 1984-86 before being drafted by New England.

Walpole High School is closed for the holidays until Jan. 5, but guidance and counseling staff was made available to students.