Man under house arrest faces charges of misconduct
A 77-year-old Fouke, Ark., man accused of sexual misconduct with three teen boys must wear a leg monitor and remain on house arrest while his case proceeds.
Kenneth Richards is accused of inappropriately touching two 14-yearold boys and a 16-year-old boy who was offering tobacco products, alcohol, money and other gifts in exchange for sex, according to a search warrant affidavit used to create the following account. The boys allegedly reported that they had been working for Richards for about two weeks when he began trying to touch them inappropriately while driving them around.
The boys allegedly claim Richards made them view pornography with him at his home in Fouke in the 100 block of Attaway Avenue. According to the search warrant documents, investigators collected computer equipment and digital storage devices as well as two iPhones. A box of discs marked “Ken’s XXX videos, keep out” and a disc labeled “XXX” with the date Oct. 23, 2017, written on it.
Richards allegedly admitted
to giving the boys alcohol and allegedly admitted to performing a sex act on one of the 14-year-old boys. Richards was arrested Nov. 9 by members of the Miller County Sheriff’s Office on two counts of indecency with a child, one count of second-degree sexual assault and a single count of rape. At an initial court appearance, Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson set Richards’ bail at $75,000 and ordered that he remain on house arrest and wear a GPS tracking capable leg monitor.
Richards was also ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims. He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 5. The most serious of the charges, rape, is punishable by 10 to 40 years or life in prison.