‘It was a shock’ Holdenville superintendent says FBI never told district teacher was being investigated for child pornography
CONTENT WARNING: This article describes allegations of child sexual abuse and distribution of child sexual abuse material. This content is disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (KFOR) — A federal arrest affidavit, obtained by News 4, is shedding new details on what led to FBI agents arresting a Holdenville High School teacher while he was teaching this week, for possession of child pornography.
Meanwhile, Holdenville Public Schools’ superintendent tells News 4 the FBI never notified him, the district or local authorities they were investigating the teacher, until agents showed up to the school to arrest him.
Federal authorities arrested 34-year-old Holdenville High School agriculture and FFA teacher Cody Richison at the school Wednesday, charging him with Receipt of Child Pornography following a months-long investigation.
The arrest affidavit, obtained by News 4, says FBI investigators began looking in to Richison back in August, when they were going through a cell phone belonging to a man named Joseph Sampson, who they were investigating for child pornography.
A federal grand jury ended up indicting Sampson for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography in September.
On Sampson’s phone, FBI investigators found a text conversation from January 26, 2024, allegedly between Sampson and Richison.
According to the affidavit, Sampson texted Richison: “You really wanna do the pedo family thing?”
Richison allegedly responded: “Yes, I do.”
Sampson allegedly went on to ask Richison if he’s ever had sex with someone underage.
Richison allegedly replied that he had—with “a buddy’s foster son” who was just 10 years old.
Richison then allegedly texted Sampson, “there’s a guy in Henryetta that has a 3-4 year old”
Then, the affidavit says the FBI received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children—that someone who knew Richison reported they once saw child pornography on Richison’s phone.
That was enough for the FBI to get a search warrant for Richison’s house and truck—and an arrest warrant for Richison himself.
Richison allegedly confessed to FBI investigators that he’s “received approximately 100 photos and videos of children being sexually abused” between 2020 and now.
The affidavit also says Richison also told investigators he’d recently talked with a friend about becoming a foster parent, and that he knows what happens to “CHOMOS” in jail, because he used to work at a prison.
The affidavit notes investigators understood “CHOMOS” to be a slang term meaning “child molesters.”
Holdenville Public Schools Superintendent Randy Davenport spoke to News 4 over the phone Thursday afternoon.
He said Richison’s arrest caught him and Hughes County authorities completely by surprise.
“It was a shock,” Davenport said. "We did not know until the FBI showed up on campus and asked to interview Mr. Richison. That's the first we knew… We had no knowledge of even an investigation going on. Local authorities, the district attorney also didn't have any idea.”
Richison’s arrest affidavit had not been made available by the time News 4 spoke with Davenport on Thursday. At that point, Davenport said FBI officials had given school district leaders very little information about why they arrested Richison.
“We are still very much in the dark as everyone is about any additional information, the FBI has confirmed the arrest, but no other information is being given out because it is ongoing federal investigation,” Davenport told News 4 Thursday afternoon.
He told News 4 FBI officials did tell him none of Richison’s alleged crimes involved students at the school.
“It does not involve any of the students here at this school district, which is a good thing,” Davenport said. “They have no evidence or suspicion—of any kind—that anything to do with any of the students at Holdenville Public Schools was involved. So they have assured us that it has no effect on our public schools besides, it is a staff member of the district.”
Davenport says Richison has worked at the school about three years.
He says Richison will not be allowed back at the school, and the district is cooperating fully with the FBI as it continues to investigate.