Richard Slack charged with voyeurism, child pornography

The former owner of a local funeral home has been indicted for taping women and children for sexual purposes and the Ohio Attorney General and the Lawrence County prosecutor are asking the public’s help in finding out if there are more victims.

Richard Slack, 68, of Chesapeake, a former owner of Slack and Wallace Funeral Home in South Point, was indicted on Feb. 23 on 10 counts of first-degree misdemeanor voyeurism and 11 counts of second-degree felony illegal use of a minor or impaired person in nudity-oriented material or performance.

He is alleged to have invaded the privacy of others by videotaping and filming for sexual gratification. The dates of the incidents in the indictment alleged the taping occurred in November and December 2015 and in March–August 2019.

“We understand there is the potential for additional victims and we are hoping that they, or anyone with more information about the case, could contact Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation,” said Steve Irwin, the press secretary for the Ohio AG’s Office. “We know in cases of a similar nature where there are numerous victims, as the indictment lays out, there are other victims that may not have come forward yet.”

The number for BCI is at 1-855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446) and tips may be filed anonymously online at the Ohio Attorney General’s website.

Irwin said he could not speak to the specifics of the case, such as how the victims were videotaped, at this stage of the investigation, “but, as the charges describe, the victims would have been unknowing that they were being videotaped.”

Lawrence County Prosecutor Brigham Anderson said his office had been involved in this investigation for at least six months.

“We are taking this case very seriously,” he said. “The defendant will be arraigned in Common Pleas Court next Wednesday.”

Anderson said to the best of his knowledge, Slack no longer works in the funeral industry.

The case is also being investigated by BCI’s Special Victims Unit which specializes in investigating victim-centered crimes affecting populations that benefit from specialized law enforcement handling. Examples include children, the elderly and human trafficking victims, and the crimes can include abduction, sexual assault, financial abuse and/or physical abuse.