Chase Matthew's Band Member Arrested Over Shocking Allegations — Here's What Happened

Content Warning: This article contains brief legal references to the sexual assault of a child and may be disturbing to some readers.

American country singer and songwriter Chase Matthew is usually known for his hit songs, such as "Country Line" and "Love You Again."

Unfortunately, May 2026 headlines dragged his name into a controversy over his bass player, Carsen Richards.

Richards was arrested for shocking allegations, prompting Matthew to cut ties and speak out clearly about where he stands on the topic.

Here's what we know about what happened to Richards and why Matthew felt compelled to draw a line in the sand with his now-former bassist.

On May 9, 2026, Richards was arrested shortly after he performed with Matthew and the rest of the band during the BBQ & Barrels festival.

According to People, Richards is being charged with sex crimes against a child.

The outlet notes that those charges include two counts of second-degree sodomy and two counts of incest involving a person under 18 by a person three or more years older.

The charges were filed in Clark County, and he is in the custody of Daviess County Detention Center, where he is being held on a $75,000 cash bond.

The charges filed against Richards allege that the two incidents reported to police occurred between December 2020 and December 2022. At the time, Richards would have been around 16. The alleged victim, who is unnamed in reports, was revealed when his mother reported that her autistic son had been abused, per Fox. At the time of the alleged assaults, the victim would have been between the ages of 12 and 14.

It's unclear how Richards is related to the victim.

The allegations shocked Chase Matthews to his core, and he moved quickly to distance himself from his now-former bassist.

Matthew took to social media, posting a statement on his Instagram.

"The situation has honestly been one of the most shocking and heartbreaking things I have ever experienced. When I first heard the allegations, I was sick to my stomach. I would never associate myself with a person I think could even be remotely capable of something like this, much less hire them to be on my team," it read.

"The reality is, you don't always know what someone may be doing outside of your workplace, and nothing would have made me believe this was a possibility. As of his arrest this past weekend, this individual was immediately removed from the band and is no longer associated with me or my team in any capacity."

Matthew continues, "And I want to be very clear; I do not support or tolerate behavior of this kind whatsoever."

Matthew called himself "heartbroken" by the allegations, adding that he was "disturbed and disgusted."

He told fans, "I don't know any more than y'all know" as the legal case unfurls.