Former Hughes County Sheriff's deputy charged with molestation, other counts

HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ Hughes County prosecutors are accusing a former sheriff's deputy of molesting boys over the past four years. <br/><br/>One count of lewd molestation, three counts of sexual

Wednesday, November 24th 2004, 1:10 pm

By: News On 6

HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (AP) _ Hughes County prosecutors are accusing a former sheriff's deputy of molesting boys over the past four years.

One count of lewd molestation, three counts of sexual battery and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor were filed Tuesday against Michael Allen Carter.

Accusations against Carter, 23, go back to 2000 and involve six teenage boys, officials said.

He was initially investigated for allegedly giving three teens beer at his home and then touching one of them sexually.

``A lot of things have come up since the initial investigation that we have to follow up on,'' Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said.

Carter was hired as a full-time deputy in 2002 and handled the department's drug dog.

Other sheriff's deputies arrested him Nov. 9 on a complaint of attempting to distribute methamphetamine for allegedly offering the drug to the teens, and other counts, according to court papers.

Carter wasn't charged with offering the drug to teens on Tuesday.

He allegedly had 3.5 pounds of meth from a traffic stop in his patrol car, which was parked outside his house at the time of the incident.

Carter was placed on administrative leave and fired Nov. 17, Sheriff Houston Yeager said.

He is schedule to appear in court Dec. 28 for a preliminary conference.