Sweetwater Man Charged with Lewd Acts with a Child

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May 5, 2021

By News Director Jared Atha

A Sweetwater man was arrested Tuesday after being charged with two felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under the age of 16 in Beckham County District Court.

A warrant was issued last week for the arrest of 66-year-old Lanny Dean Holland after a nearly year long investigation showed that he allegedly had touched his granddaughter inappropriately on multiple occasions while living in the home.

The girl was 10-years-old during the time of the alleged acts.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, a report of alleged child sexual abuse was made to the Beckham County Sheriff’s office on May 30, 2020 by the child’s parents. During a forensic interview with the child, she would claim that Holland inappropriately touched the child on multiple occasions inside the home, and at one time while the two were inside the living quarters of the family’s horse trailer while at the Clinton Livestock Auction in February, 2020.

During an interview with authorities on June 3, 2020, Holland would deny the allegations.

While serving a search warrant of the home where most of the incidents would have taken place, authorities would find a pair of the child’s gym shorts in Holland’s bed.

Along with the felony charges, Holland would also be charged with engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses.

Court records show Holland was arrested on Tuesday.

A conference hearing has been scheduled in Beckham County for Holland on June 28.