75-year-old man arrested on child sexual abuse charge

OKMULGEE, Okla. – A 75-year-old Okmulgee man has been arrested by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and is facing one count of Child Sexual Abuse. Lester “Larry” Lay was arrested on Tuesday by OSBI agents and booked into the Okmulgee County Jail.

The investigation began in July after the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office requested OSBI assistance in investigating allegations Lay sexually assaulted a 13-year-old female.

The teenager told authorities she was visiting Lay’s grandson in the evening of July 5. After going into Okmulgee with Lay and his grandson to close Lay’s family restaurant, his grandson went inside the residence located on North 280 Road in Okmulgee to go to sleep. Lay offered to walk the victim home, which he had done on previous occasions. The victim’s phone was inside the residence charging; she went inside to retrieve it and Lay followed. Lay proceeded to sexually abuse her.

After reporting the incident to authorities, the victim was administered a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE). Criminalists in the OSBI Lab analyzed the evidence and found that DNA collected from the SANE matched Lay’s DNA profile. Last week, Lay admitted to committing various sexual acts on the child.

Lay remains in custody on a $100,000 bond.

If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited, please contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at (800) THE-LOST or www.cybertiponline.com or the OSBI at (800) 522-8017 or [email protected].