Chase Matthew's bassist charged with child sex crimes following music festival
Carsen Richards (Credit: Daviess County Detention Center)
OWENSBORO, Ky. - A member of country musician Chase Matthew’s band was arrested after performing at a Kentucky music festival over the weekend and was charged with child sex crimes, court documents reveal.
Chase Matthew’s bassist charged with sodomy, incest
Big picture view:
Carsen Richards, 22, was charged with second-degree sodomy and incest involving a person under 18 by a person three or more years older, according to Daviess County Detention Center.
As of Monday, he was in custody, where he was being held on a $75,000 cash bond.
Carsen Richards arrested after Kentucky music festival
The backstory:
Citing an arrest warrant, local media outlets reported that the victim's mother reported to Winchester Police in November 2025 that her autistic son had been abused by Richards. The victim later confirmed the abuse to police during a December 2025 interview, stating that Richards allegedly assaulted him in 2020 and 2022, when he would have been ages 12 and 14.
On May 5, 2026, the Owensboro Police Department said they received information from detectives with the Winchester Police that Richards was wanted out of their jurisdiction on felony charges.
Richards was arrested on Saturday, May 9, in Owensboro, Kentucky, after Matthew and his band headlined the BBQ & Barrels festival.
Chase Matthew calls situation ‘shocking’ and ‘heartbreaking’
What they're saying:
Matthew released a statement on his social media accounts following Richards' arrest, stating that the situation was "one of the most shocking and heartbreaking things" he’s ever experienced.
"When I first heard the allegations, I was sick to my stomach. I would never associate myself with a person I think could even be remotely capable of something like this, much less hire them to be on my team," Matthew wrote.
"As a result of his arrest this past weekend, this individual was immediately removed from the band and is no longer associated with me or my team in any capacity," the 28-year-old said, adding that he "is truly disturbed and disgusted by the details of these allegations."
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by Daviess County Detention Center, Owensboro Police Department, Chase Matthew, and local news outlet LEX18. This story was reported from Los Angeles.