Red Bay man faces solicitation charge

RUSSELLVILLE – A Red Bay man is facing one count of electronic solicitation of a child after he allegedly sent a text to who he thought was a 13-year-old girl for purposes of having sexual intercourse with her, according to court records.

Records indicate Howard Alex Burnham, 62, allegedly contacted the teen sometime around Nov. 23, 2024, via a text message.

Franklin County Sheriff Shannon Oliver said a member of the Indiana-based non-profit organization Bikers Against Predators, who was acting as the teen, began chatting with Burnham in November 2024.

Oliver said the text soon turned sexual when Burnham asked for inappropriate photos while also sending messages which were sexual in nature.

Almost 400 people have been arrested as a result of the non-profit organization’s work, according to its social media page. Most of those people arrested are Indiana residents, but the organization has since cast a larger net in the South with recent arrests in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Alabama.

Burham was booked into the Franklin County Jail last Thursday. He was released on Friday on a $75,000 bond with stipulations that he does not leave the state unless he notifies the court, and he does not commit any other criminal offenses.

He is scheduled to appear Feb. 20 for a preliminary hearing at the Franklin County Courthouse.