Thursday, July 25th 2019, 10:09 pm
Richard David West, 41, a former member of “Bikers Against Child Abuse” (BACA), has recently been charged with Lewd of Indecent Acts or Proposals to a Child Under 16.
Investigators said West is also facing a count of Child Pornography after images were found on his phone, along with inappropriate text messages.
While West is from Holdenville, the alleged crimes happened in Pottawatomie County, and that’s where West was booked into jail.
The district attorney reports the actions spanned years.
“I became aware of it through one of my investigators, told me that there was a guy involved with BACA that had been introduced to a child. I believe she was about 12 at the time, through an ongoing case in Seminole County,” said Pottawatomie County District Attorney Allan Grubb.
“That's where she met this man, who was introduced to her as someone she could trust. He came as a position of protection for her. Then he ended up becoming her abuser.”
BACA Oklahoma and International says as soon as the found out about the allegations, they cut ties with West.
They released the following statement:
“B.A.C.A. Oklahoma and International was recently made aware of the allegations against a now former member. We regret to hear of the reported and unacceptable actions of this individual, and they represent a violation of the core of our organization’s Mission, which is to empower children to not be afraid of the world in which they live."
West was also a city councilor for Holdenville. However, he resigned from the position on July 16, 2019.
News 9 tried to reach out to West but received no reply.
West will be in court again September 10, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
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