Internet adopting dad faces molestation charges

HIGHLAND, California (CNN) -- Richard Allen, the California man who with his wife became embroiled in a tug-of-war with a British couple over twin baby girls adopted over the Internet, was arrested on Wednesday, accused of molesting two teen-age girls.

The San Bernadino County Sheriff's Office Crimes Against Children Detail arrested Allen after investigating a report that a 13 year-old girl had been molested while babysitting at his Highland home. During the course of their inquiry, detectives learned that there was a second possible victim, a 14 year-old female, who had also worked as a babysitter for Allen.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said the allegations involve incidents at the Allen home last November.

Allen was arrested on a probable-cause warrant. His bail was set at $100,000. He is being held at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

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Beavers told CNN that the San Bernardino District Attorney has until 8 p.m. (ET) Friday to file charges in the case.

Allen gained notoriety when he and his wife used the same Internet website as did a British couple, Alan and Judith Kilshaw, to adopt the same set of twin baby girls.

Each couple used the "Caring Heart Adoption" site to locate the babies they hoped to adopt. Each went through a San Diego-based facilitator to arrange the adoptions. The Allens told CNN they paid $6,000 in fees to adopt the girls.

The Allens have said they cared for the twins for two months in the U.S. before they were taken away by the girls' natural mother, who then handed them over to the Kilshaws in a California hotel.

The Kilshaws then got the adoption approved by an Arkansas court before taking the girls to Britain.

The babies are now in the hands of British authorities pending the outcome of several court proceedings. A St. Louis, Missouri, court has awarded temporary custody of the twins to their biological father.

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San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
  • Crimes Against Children Unit
Adopting.com - Internet Adoption Resources

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