Alva Review-Courier -

A Cherokee man has been charged with making lewd or indecent proposals to a child.

Logan Wade Hicks, 20, of Cherokee, has been charged with two felony counts: lewd or indecent proposals to a child under 16 and violation of Oklahoma statute via computer. He is accused of making a computer generated lewd proposal to a 14-year-old boy using a cellphone.

The first count is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for not less than three years nor more than 20 years. The second is punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or by both such imprisonment and fine.

Hicks is also charged with a misdemeanor of selling or furnishing tobacco to a minor. He is accused of proving tobacco to minors between August 1, 2018 and July 30, 2019.

Court records show on July 31, Cherokee Police Chief Ryan McNeil told District Attorney’s Investigator Steve Tanio that the police department had received information regarding the sexual exploitation of a child by an adult. A parent of the child contacted the police, speaking to Officer Brock Phillips, about sexually explicit text communications from Hicks to the child on the child’s cellphone. The father consented to allow McNeil and Phillips to search the phone, and they observed sexually explicit texts and images sent to the child by Hicks, according to the court affidavit.

On July 31, Tanio interviewed the juvenile, age 14, who said he met Hicks approximately two years ago at a high school basketball game in Cherokee. He said since August 2018, Hicks had contacted him through his cellphone on social media applications such as Facebook and Instagram. The boy said the last time Hicks communicated with him and mentioned a sexually explicit act was between 6:45 and 7 p.m. on July 30. He said he believed Hicks had texted him approximately 50 different times regarding sexual acts. The child said he was aware Hicks was also sending sexually explicit communications to at least two other children in Cherokee, according to the affidavit.

On July 31, Alfalfa County Sheriff Rick Wallace, Undersheriff Gary Mast, Deputy Ryan Madden, McNeil, Phillips and Tanio executed a search warrant at the residence of Hicks. A Huawei Ascend smart cellphone and numerous other electronic storage devices were seized.

During a post-Miranda, videotaped interview, Hicks made numerous admissions, according to the affidavit. He admitted he had sexually communicated with the male juvenile whom he knew to be 14 years of age. He also admitted to using his cellphone to sexually communicate with at least two other juveniles, one of whom Hicks knew to be 12 years of age.