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Weather Channel ‘Prospectors' star arrested for child sex crimes in Teller County

Posted at 4:46 PM, Dec 14, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-14 20:58:45-05

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. -- One of the miners featured in the Weather Channel’s “Prospectors” T.V. reality show was arrested in Teller County early Thursday after several child sex allegations surfaced, court records show.

Richard Fretterd, 64, is being held on Teller County Jail on two counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child, and one count of unlawful sexual contact.

The allegations stem from an interview between one of the victims and the Teller County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month.

The victim told authorities Fretterd sexually abused her and another friend for a period of three years starting in 2013, as well as another minor in the summer of 2015.

During the interview, the juvenile said Fretterd, who lived next door and was a trusted family friend, was often asked to watch over them, according to court records.

Court records also go into detail about the suspect’s alleged sexual crimes.

The victim said during the interview that Fretterd at first paid the juveniles for minor chores such as washing his dishes and doing yardwork, but would later began exposing himself and would offer them money so they could see him pleasuring himself as well as perform other sex acts.

Court documents also state the suspect would give the victims marijuana and alcohol to “loosen them up” before a sexual encounter.

The victim also told the sheriff’s office about the third girl involved in an incident in the summer of 2015, who was asked to perform sexual acts on Fretterd in exchange for new electronic smoking vapor “mod” machines.

According to court documents, the Teller County Sheriff’s Office was able to corroborate the accounts from the victim thanks to a description of a dark brown dime-sized mole on Fretterd’s body located on his left hip below the waist.

Authorities also said they were aware of three people who talked about “ending the life of the suspect." Fretterd had reportedly left his home and was unreachable before he was arrested Thursday just before 1 a.m. at his home in Woodland Park, located west of Colorado Springs.

Denver7 reached out to Fretterd’s attorney for comment, but we have yet to hear back.