Sunshine Band Co-Founder Arrested

Richard R. Finch, bassist and co-founder of KC & The Sunshine Band, was arrested in Ohio March 23 for allegedly having sexual contact with a teenage boy.

The boy contacted the sheriff’s office in Licking County, Ohio, last week, claiming to have had sex with Finch in the musician’s home.  Finch, while being interviewed by sheriff’s deputies, admitted to having sex with the boy as well as other teenage boys ranging in age from 13 to 17, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Finch was charged with “gross sexual imposition” and is being held on $250,000 bail.

According to sheriff representative Sgt. Slayman, Finch had allegedly been having sexual contact with the boy for several months, and authorities are interviewing other possible victims. The case will eventually be presented to a grand jury.

As the original bass man for KC & The Sunshine Band, Finch co-wrote with lead singer Harry “KC” Wayne Casey several of the group’s mega-hits, including “That’s The Way (I Like It),” “Get Down Tonight” and “Shake Shake Shake (Your Booty). He is a multi-Grammy winner, an American Music Awards recipient and has a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame.

The Dispatch notes that published reports and media interviews posted on Finch’s Web site indicated he has been working with several bands consisting of young men at his home recording studio in Newark, Ohio. A message posted on the site says Finch will eventually be cleared of any wrongdoing.

“We will let due process happen through the legal system and, through that, we are sure Mr. Finch will be vindicated from these unfounded allegations,” read the statement posted on RichardRFinch.com.

Meanwhile, a woman whose son is a member of one of the bands that has worked with Finch told the Dispatch that the musician/producer had always acted professionally.

Janet Lieb, who manages her son’s band, To Be Continued, said Finch was always a “consummate professional” who never gave her any reason to suspect otherwise.

“There was nothing that ever even hinted that I should be alarmed,” Lieb said.