Director Kept Actor in Cast Despite Complaints Before Child Sex Crime Arrest

by Chris Peterson

A former cast member at a Kansas community theatre has been arrested on multiple child sex crime charges, prompting the sudden resignation of the theatre’s longtime artistic director.

Cody S. LaCrone, who previously performed in several shows at Roxy’s Downtown Theatre in Wichita, was taken into custody after investigators alleged he engaged in unlawful contact with a minor. Officials say the alleged victim is a girl LaCrone had contact with while participating in the theatre’s programming.

According to local news, LaCrone continued performing at Roxy’s earlier this year even after concerns had been raised by cast members. Several performers reported LaCrone’s behavior to theatre leadership months before the arrest. They described interactions they considered inappropriate and predatory.

Cody S. LaCrone

Roxy’s artistic director at the time, Rick Bumgardner, acknowledged in a public statement that warnings were brought directly to him. Bumgardner confirmed he chose to give LaCrone what he called a second chance, which meant allowing him to remain involved with productions. According to the reporting, this included allowing LaCrone to perform in close proximity to the same girl he is now accused of targeting.

Following LaCrone’s arrest, Bumgardner resigned from his position. He posted the following statement on Roxy’s Facebook page.

“To the Wichita Community: It is with much sorrow that I have submitted my resignation to the Board of Directors of Roxy’s Downtown Theatre, Inc. I gave an actor a second chance in one of our productions about six months ago after being made aware that several other actors had expressed concerns about his behavior being predatory. This past weekend that actor was arrested on charges that indeed support those concerns in west Wichita . It has caused a deep distrust of my leadership, Roxy’s practices, and our overall safety. I am truly sorry for any betrayal that anyone feels by my actions and in the best interest of this theatre and the community I so love, it is best I step away and it is my hope that through this action, the theatre community will come together, make a standardized safety principles package, and heal. To the supporters of Roxy’s, I thank you for all the support you have given over the years and I know that Roxy’s will soar higher than it ever could have under the direction of the board and new leadership.” - Rick Bumgardner

What Cody S. LaCrone is accused of is horrific. The allegations are sickening and heartbreaking. These are the kinds of crimes that can alter a young person’s life forever. No community ever wants a predator embedded in its arts programs, and certainly not one who has access to minors.

But there is a much larger truth here. LaCrone should never have been anywhere near that building by the time these allegations surfaced. He should never have had that continued access. He should not have been in rehearsals or performances or anywhere close to children.

And the person who permitted all of that was Rick Bumgardner.

This was not a moment where information slipped through the cracks. According to multiple cast members, the warnings were explicit. They told the director that LaCrone’s behavior made people uncomfortable. They said it felt predatory. They said something was wrong. These were not subtle hints. These were clear alarms from the people he was supposed to protect.

Bumgardner did not protect them. He protected LaCrone.

“I just want the public to know (that) Rick was very much aware of what he was hiring, he was very much aware of what was going on,” said Megan Parsley to local news, who works at Roxy’s.

“Cody was allowed to stay in the show, to perform onstage alongside this girl he targeted,” Parsley continued, in reference to a previous production in which she worked with Lacrone. “So the whole run of the show he was in the vicinity of this girl. There were no protections put in place for her.”

Bumgardner framed his decision as compassion and called it a second chance. But allowing a man accused of acting inappropriately around a minor to stay in the building is not compassion. It is irresponsible and dangerous. It shows an astonishing lack of judgment for someone who held authority over young performers.

A second chance is something you give to someone who forgets choreography or misses a cue. It is not something you give to someone who has a cloud of predatory behavior surrounding them. It is not something you gamble on when children are involved.

And I have to say it plainly. If you hear concerns about an adult behaving inappropriately around a young girl and your response is to keep that adult in the cast, then you have no business leading a theatre. You have no business running rehearsals or overseeing a youth program. You have no business being anywhere near a position of authority.

Rick Bumgardner should never lead a theatre organization again. Not after this. Not after ignoring those warnings. Not after enabling an environment where a child could be harmed.

I am not interested in resignation announcements written to make him sound wounded or overwhelmed. I am not interested in statements about how difficult the week has been. He is not the person who gets to claim hardship here. He is the adult who ignored performers who tried to protect a vulnerable child.

Rick Bumgardner

If the reporting is accurate and if these warnings were dismissed, the community has every right to pursue legal consequences. They have every right to demand accountability for negligence. They have every right to insist on real investigations and real transparency. And they have every right to say that someone who ignored concerns about predatory behavior should never again be entrusted with the safety of performers.

Cody S. LaCrone is responsible for the crimes he is accused of committing. But the environment that allowed him to remain close to young performers was created by the director who chose to look the other way.

Theatre is supposed to be a safe place. It is supposed to be a place of trust and creativity and growth. When a director violates that trust, the damage goes beyond one production. It tears at the foundation of the whole institution.

A leader who ignores warnings of predatory behavior is not simply flawed or misguided. Rick Bumgardner has disqualified himself from the privilege of leading. Permanently.