Kentucky man pleads guilty to sex offense against a minor

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - Richard L. Barksdale, 69, of Goshen, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to traveling in interstate commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

A release from U.S. Department of Justice, Southern District of West Virginia said that Barksdale contacted an individual he found on a fetish website he believed to be the single mother of two girls ages 11 and 13, in Beckley, W.Va. on July 18, 2022.

“Barksdale admitted that he began communicating with the woman in phone calls and text messages, telling the woman that he wanted to engage in sexual activity with both of her daughters. Barksdale further admitted that he discussed methods to avoid the minor children getting pregnant, such as by putting them on birth control pills,” the release said.

Barksdale arranged to meet the two minor girls at a hotel room in Beckley where he would engage in sexual activity with both of them, and he arranged to bring them gift cards and candy to make them more comfortable.

It was on September 11, 2022 that Barksdale traveled from his Kentucky residence to the Beckley hotel. He was arrested there.

Barksdale is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Barksdale must also register as a sex offender.

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