Thursday, June 6th 2013, 2:04 pm
Residents detained a Harrah man for Oklahoma County deputies, after the man was accused of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 16, and taking disturbing photos of her.
A witness called deputies on June 4 after seeing nude photos of the girl on 32-year-old Matthew Riffel's phone. The witness spoke to the girl seen in the pictures. The girl said Riffel had touched her and taken lewd photographs on multiple occasions. According to the police report, the witness then spoke to Riffel, who said he'd "done something bad." He also reportedly told the witness to delete the photos and "not to worry about it."
After Riffel left the residence, the witness contacted the sheriff's office and turned the phone over to deputies.
The witness said Riffel had gone to his home. When deputies arrived, they found Riffel, handcuffed, in the back seat of a car. Concerned witnesses connected to the case had apparently tracked down Riffel before authorities arrived, and detained him.
Deputies took Riffel into custody. He was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on 35 counts, including first-degree rape, possession of child pornography, and lewd acts with a child.
"This case is very troubling," said Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel. "This predator violated an innocent child. Fortunately, when the witness discovered what was happening, that person came forward and our deputies were able to get Riffel away from his victim, and put him in jail."
Riffel's bond has been set at $802,000.
March 22nd, 2024
March 14th, 2024
February 9th, 2024
April 17th, 2024
April 17th, 2024