Local News in Brief : Teacher Enters Plea in Molestation Case

An assistant professor of psychology at UCLA on Wednesday pleaded no contest to sexual battery and lewd conduct stemming from contact he is accused of having with two boys.

Darrell Dean Richards, 31, who teaches a developmental adolescence course, could be sentenced to a maximum of a year in jail and three years’ probation as a result of a plea bargain. If he violates the probation, he would be subject to a four-year prison term, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Speer.

Richards is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 17 in Superior Court in Van Nuys.

Richards was originally charged with 11 counts of felony child molesting for the contact he had with the two boys, one of whom was from Van Nuys, Speer said. He met the boys during volunteer work with the Big Brothers organization and Woodcraft Rangers, a youth group, Speer said. He is accused of fondling the boys, who were 6 and 10 years old at the time, she said.

Richards’ attorney, Howard E. Beckler, said Richards did nothing improper during his relationship with the boys but decided to plead no contest to settle the case. He said Richards made an “altruistic decision” to save the boys from having to testify during a trial.

Beckler said Richards was “outraged” that he was accused of doing anything improper. Richards admitted touching the boys but not for any sexual gratification, Beckler said.

“He confused his Big Brother role with the role of a father,” Beckler said. In one case, Richards was simply instructing the boy in personal hygiene, Beckler said.