A former Butler County School District employee arrested in December 2020 has reached a plea deal.
Richie T. Bratcher, 53, of Morgantown, was arrested by the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch and charged with three counts of prohibited use of an electronic communication system to procure a minor (a class D felony unless the victim is under the age of 12, in which case the charge is a class C felony).
Bratcher was accused of inviting a boy to join a sexually explicit Facebook group and, according to Kentucky State Police, the suspect sent the victim “sexually explicit messages …” in doing so.
Police have not released the age of the victim.
Last week, Bratcher reached a plea deal with the Butler County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office where he pled guilty to second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor, according to The Beech Tree News. Second-degree unlawful transaction with a minor is a class D felony.
Bratcher was given a suspended five year sentence, but he must serve 60 days under house arrest; have no unsupervised contact with juveniles; and he is prohibited from having contact with juveniles via electronic devices or online.
Bratcher was a clerical assistant at the time of his arrest, and did not have direct contact with students, according to Butler County Schools Superintendent Robert Tuck.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
