Court documents: Wichita actor targeted teenager online, in text messages
Cody LaCrone said he met his alleged victim at Roxy's Downtown, but The SHOUT has confirmed they did not perform there together.
Contact between Wichita actor Cody LaCrone and a teenage girl he is accused of sexually abusing began in the early spring of 2024, when the victim was 14 years old and in the 8th grade, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
LaCrone is charged in Sedgwick County District Court with three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of sexual exploitation of a child.
In the affidavit, LaCrone claims to have met the victim after a show at “The Roxy.” LaCrone appeared in a production of “Jekyll and Hyde” at Roxy’s Downtown in February and March of 2024. According to the affidavit, LaCrone stated that he added her to his Instagram and “they began to communicate.”
The affidavit claims that LaCrone admitted to receiving nude photos from the victim and to sending photos of his genitals to the victim, knowing that she was only 15 years old at the time. The affidavit states that the victim sent 10 to 20 photos to LaCrone beginning in February of 2025. It further states LaCrone “looked up Kansas statutes to see what the age of consent was” in order to determine the legality of receiving the nude photos.
The affidavit claims that LaCrone and the victim met in person six times. The victim told law enforcement they had sex on three occasions. Once was at a home near 13th and Woodlawn Streets. The other incidents occurred in a car. None of the incidents occurred at Roxy’s Downtown. The SHOUT has independently verified that LaCrone and his alleged victim did not appear together on stage at Roxy’s.
The affidavit says LaCrone denies ever having sex with the victim.
According to the affidavit, the parents of the victim first became aware of the relationship in April 2025 after she left a church function in a car matching the description of LaCrone’s vehicle. A friend was able to track her phone to a parking lot in northeast Wichita, where she was removed from the car, according to the affidavit.
On November 19,, 2025 the 16-year-old boyfriend of the victim disclosed the existence of the nude photos and claimed that LaCrone was blackmailing the victim with threats to send the photos to her parents, according to the affidavit. The affidavit includes the text of three messages LaCrone sent on October 26 threatening to “leak all the nudes for fun anyway,” as well as text indicating LaCrone was sending something to the victim’s parents.
LaCrone was arrested on November 21 after a traffic stop near Maple and Tyler Road. He is free on a $250,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for January 8.
Rick Bumgartner, the longtime artistic director at Roxy’s Downtown, resigned five days after charges were filed against LaCrone. In a statement that has since been deleted from the theater’s Facebook page, Bumgartner wrote, “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.”
Two members of the “Jekyll and Hyde” cast have told The SHOUT that LaCrone harassed them during rehearsals and the run of the show, behavior they reported. In 2025, LaCrone worked on the Roxy’s production of “Company” and appeared in “Urinetown.”
The case, and Bumgartner’s resignation, have divided the Wichita theater community. Some believe Bumgartner’s resignation was warranted. Others are advocating for the nonprofit’s board to reinstate him.
Kirk Longhofer is a Wichita-based theatrical sound designer, producer, editor and live sound engineer. In one of several former lives he worked for over a decade as a reporter, anchor and editor at multiple print, radio and television outlets.
Emily Christensen is one of the co-founders of The SHOUT. She is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a recipient of an Arts Writing Grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation. Send her a message: emily@shoutwichita.com.
❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs
❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities
❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns
❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art
❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'
❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections
Support Kansas arts writing
The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation.
