Man Admits To New Child Sexual Misconduct 63 Years After First Arrest

June 7, 2021Terri Jo Neff

An 84-year-old Cochise County man first arrested for sexual misconduct with a child in the 1950s will spend the rest of his life on intensive probation supervision after pleading guilty to engaging in sexual contact with a teenaged boy earlier this year.

Richard Leroy Bir was sentenced June 1 after pleading guilty to knowingly committing sexual abuse on April 16 by touching the teen’s genitals while the two were riding in a vehicle. While on IPS, Bir will not be allowed to have children in his home without prior approval and his activities outside his home will be heavily monitored.

Court records show the victim had known Bir since he was five years old, and that Bir had spent much time with the family. The teen immediately advised his parents of Bir’s misconduct, including the fact Bir also engaged in masturbatory conduct in the vehicle.

The parents initially told the deputy they did not want Bir prosecuted because of his age. Instead, they would ensure their son had no further contact with Bir. However, when the teen learned Bir was a registered sex offender he decided to pursue charges with the support of his pastor.

Bir later confessed his conduct to a deputy two days later and was taken into custody April 19. It was then that the extent of Bir’s criminal sexual history became known, including a conviction in 1958 involving child molestation in California. He was also suspected in “numerous crime reports” involving sexual acts against children.

Bir also spent a few months in a state hospital at that time for a “mental sex problem.” Then in 1962 he was convicted of prowling in an incident in which Bir was shot at by the homeowner.

It appears Bir has been compliant with his Level 3 sex offender registration requirements since moving to the Sierra Vista area nearly 20 years ago.  However, anyone with information about Bir’s conduct can call the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office at 520-432-9500.