Fired him immediately.
Chase Matthew has spoken out after finding out along with the public that his touring bassist, Carsen Richards, was charged with child sex crimes.
The 22-year-old bass player had just finished up headlining a Kentucky music festival along with Chase Matthew and his band when he was arrested on May 9.
Shortly after the band got off the stage at the BBQ & Barrels festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, Richards was booked on charges of two counts second-degree sodomy and two counts of incest involving a person under 18 by a person three or more years older, according to court records.
According to the arrest warrant, the abuse was reported to the Winchester, Kentucky police department back in November 2025 by the victim’s mother. The victim, who is autistic, later confirmed that Richards had allegedly assaulted him in 2020 and 2022, when the victim was 12 and 14 years old.
The victim’s mother reportedly confronted Richards at an apartment in Tennessee earlier this year, and the bassist allegedly apologized and said that he “made an awful mistake.”
Matthew, a 28-year-old country artist, known for his songs like “Darlin'” and “Love you Again,” released a statement on the arrest this afternoon confirming that Richards was fired as soon as he was made aware of the arrest.
The country singer said he was shocked, was completely unaware of Richards’ horrific behavior, and offered up sympathy to those impacted:
“The situation has honestly been one of the most shocking and heartbreaking things I’ve 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 be remotely capable of something like this, much less hire them to be on my team.
The reality is, you don’t always know what someone may be doing outside of your workplace, and nothing would have made me believe this was a possibility. As 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.
And I want to be very clear: I do not support or tolerate behavior of this kind whatsoever. I am truly disturbed and disgusted by the details of these allegations. My heart breaks for anyone affected. Like you, I’m learning this information as it comes out publicly. I don’t know anything more than y’all know. This is an ongoing legal matter, and I trust that the legal system will go through the correct procedures to get to the bottom of this.”
According to the Owensboro Times, the Owensboro Police Department waited until Richards exited the stage at BBQ & Barrels festival because they were told he was “frequently armed,” and wanted to reduce the risk of a violent encounter by arresting him as he exited the stage. He was taken in by authorities before he reached the band’s tour bus.
Carsen Richards is currently in custody at the Daviess County Detention Center and is being held on $75,000 cash bond. His charges stem from alleged events that are believed to have occurred in December of 2020 and December of 2022. The victim of the alleged sex crimes is a child with autism.
