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2 Karate Teachers Charged With Rape

Friday, December 12, 2003
By CHARLIE WHITE
The Courier-Journal
Source - click here

Two karate instructors, a man and a woman, were arrested yesterday and charged with several counts of rape and sodomy involving two girls who at the time were 13-year-old karate students.

Richard McKinney Woodard III, 38, owner of Richard's Karate Academy, 7275 Dixie Highway, was charged with six counts of second-degree rape and seven counts of second-degree sodomy.

Lori Marie Franklin, 37, who police said was Woodard's girlfriend and an instructor at his school, faces four counts of second-degree rape and two counts of second-degree sodomy.

They both live in the 7700 block of Brookview Drive.

Woodard and Franklin were head instructors at the school and often spent time alone with their students, such as on trips to tournaments, said Detective Leigh Whelan of the Louisville Metro Police Crimes Against Children Unit.

The alleged crimes occurred approximately two years ago.

"Both children described these abuses as having happened over a period of time," Whelan said.

Whelan said police interviewed several students during the monthlong investigation and found their statements helped corroborate the accounts of the two girls.

Richard's Karate Academy closed about two weeks ago, Whelan said.

Franklin, who also works at the Louisville Medical Center Credit Union, was arrested outside her workplace at 130 Medical Towers South at 3:45 p.m. yesterday. Her bond was set at $35,000. Woodard was arrested five minutes later at the corner of Broadway and Brook Street. His bond was set at $50,000.

The two were indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday. The charges are all second-degree because no force was used. Police are investigating whether other children may have been molested. Anyone with information is asked to call the Crimes Against Children Unit at 574-2465.

 

(NOTE: Several other victims have come forward since the initial arrest. More charges have been added to the rapists. We will continue to follow this story as it develops).

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