Update — May 11 at 2:34 p.m.
Owensboro police officials said Monday they intentionally waited until Carsen Richards exited the stage at BBQ and Barrels before arresting him Saturday night due to concerns he may have been armed and to reduce the risk of a violent encounter in a crowded environment.
In a statement provided to the Owensboro Times, Owensboro Police Department spokesman Mark Hammonds said Winchester Police contacted OPD on May 5 regarding Richards, 22, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, who was wanted on felony charges in Clark County.
According to Hammonds, Winchester detectives informed OPD that Richards was associated with a band scheduled to perform at BBQ and Barrels on May 9 and that he was known to have access to multiple firearms and was “frequently armed.”
Hammonds said OPD’s Criminal Investigations Division then began developing an operations plan in the event Richards was not arrested before arriving in Owensboro.
“The focus of the plan was to positively identify Richards as the individual wanted by Winchester PD, and after identification, reduce the likelihood of a violent armed encounter in a crowded environment,” Hammonds said.
According to Hammonds, investigators visually confirmed Richards’ identity while he was performing on the Owensboro Convention Center lawn as part of Chase Matthew’s touring band.
Hammonds said officers arrested Richards at approximately 9:40 p.m. Saturday.
“A team of officers took Richards into custody shortly after he exited the stage, before he could reach a tour bus and away from the main crowd,” Hammonds said. “Richards was confirmed not to be armed at the time of his arrest.”
Hammonds also said that city special events staff and the BBQ and Barrels organizers were not informed in advance of the planned arrest.
“As with any law enforcement operation, confidentiality is of the utmost importance and therefore the City of Owensboro’s Special Events staff and the BBQ and Barrels organizers were not notified of the impending arrest of Richards,” Hammonds said.
Richards was later booked into the Daviess County Detention Center at 10:34 p.m. Saturday, according to detention center records.
Richards faces two counts of second-degree sodomy and two counts of incest involving a person under 18 by a person three or more years older, according to records filed in Clark District Court.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Winchester Police Department Detective Bob Mott, the allegations stem from incidents alleged to have occurred in December 2020 and December 2022 in Clark County.
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Original Story
New court records allege that Carsen Richards, a touring band member for country artist Chase Matthew, sexually abused an autistic child beginning when the child was 12 years old. Richards was arrested in Owensboro following Saturday night’s BBQ & Barrels concert.
Richards, 22, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, faces two counts of second-degree sodomy and two counts of incest involving a person under 18 by a person three or more years older, according to records filed in Clark District Court. He was arrested by the Owensboro Police Department shortly after performing on the Owensboro Convention Center lawn during the downtown festival. According to Richards’ Instagram profile, he serves as bassist and music director for Chase Matthew.
According to a criminal complaint filed by Winchester Police Department Detective Bob Mott, the charges stem from incidents alleged to have occurred in December 2020 and December 2022 in Clark County.
The complaint alleged the victim’s mother reported the accusations to Winchester Police on Nov. 24, 2025, and that a child advocacy center interview took place in Lexington on Dec. 3, 2025.
According to the complaint, the alleged victim reported two incidents involving Richards, including one when the alleged victim was 12 years old in 2020 and another when the alleged victim was 14 years old in 2022.
The complaint also stated the alleged victim “has been diagnosed as Autistic Level 1 by Vanderbilt University Hospital.”
According to the complaint, the alleged victim’s mother confronted Richards outside his apartment in Hendersonville on Feb. 12, 2026. The complaint alleged Richards responded, “There is nothing more I have regretted in my life,” and “I made an awful mistake.”
A warrant of arrest signed May 5 by Judge E. Neal ordered Richards be arrested and brought before Clark County District Court.
According to a uniform citation filed in Clark County District Court, Richards was arrested by the Owensboro Police Department at 9:40 p.m. Saturday on an execution of a complaint warrant for Clark County District Court. The citation stated the warrant was tied to charges of second-degree sodomy and incest involving a person less than 18 years old by a person three or more years older.
Daviess County Detention Center records showed Richards was booked into the Daviess County Detention Center at 10:34 p.m. Saturday.
Court records showed Richards was being held on a $75,000 cash bond and ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim.
The citation noted the Owensboro officer serving the warrant “has no further knowledge of this case,” indicating the arrest stemmed from an outside agency investigation.
Owensboro Times has reached out to the Owensboro Police Department and Owensboro city officials seeking additional information regarding the timeline of the arrest, including when local authorities became aware of the warrant and whether officials connected to the event had advance notice.
