Orem man arrested for allegedly taking porno photos of kids

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An Orem man is accused of posing as a police officer to lure neighborhood children into his house, where he allegedly took pornographic photos of them.

A woman was visiting a resident near 50 East and 1100 South late last week when she saw David Morris Richards, 54, speaking with a young girl, said Orem police spokesman Craig Martinez.

"It didn't feel right, so she started asking around some of the neighbors," Martinez said.

She learned that Richards was particularly attentive toward young girls in the neighborhood, so she called police, Martinez said.

Investigators learned that Richards had been posing as a police officer, wearing uniform shirts with a badge and outfitting his car with emergency lights, Martinez said. The neighborhood children knew him as "Lieutenant D" and many had gone into his house, Martinez said.

When officers searched his house, they found several computers and cameras with images of girls, ages 6 to 10, in various stages of undress and inappropriate positions, Martinez said. Several cameras were positioned around the house, including in the bathroom, Martinez said. Most of the victims appear to have been photographed without their knowledge, though Richards is suspected of molesting at least one of them, Martinez said.

Police have identified 10 victims from the photos and are trying to identify others, Martinez said.

"There are many more pictures and videos we have of girls that we don't know who they are," he said.

Richards has lived in the same house for 17 years, Martinez said. Investigators hope families who lived nearby or had contact with Richards will discuss any potential abuses and notify police, Martinez said.

He praised the woman who initially noticed Richards' interaction with the neighbor girl.

"It's good that she was attentive enough to see that how he was dealing with kids wasn't normal," he said.