BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A Westville man was arrested after he reportedly kidnapped his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter and the couple that was babysitting the girl.

Bloomington police said they were called on Oct. 19 around 2:45 a.m. on the report of a possible abduction in progress.

The caller told police that a club employee’s ex-husband had taken her child, the babysitter, and the babysitter’s boyfriend in her car. When investigators contacted the employee, she confirmed that her on-and-off boyfriend had taken her 5-year-old daughter.

She said the man, identified as 36-year-old Richard Allen White, Jr. was in a “fit of anger.”

The woman stated White wouldn’t stop harassing her about her earnings for the night. She told White that she wouldn’t discuss that on the phone since she was in the dressing room with other dancers.

That’s when White began to act “all crazy” and began calling the club’s business phone and blowing up the woman’s phone.

Court documents stated the woman checked her security cameras at her apartment and saw that there was a motion at her front door and that her daughter wasn’t in her bedroom.

Some of the threatening text messages to the woman’s phone from White included:

• “Man f**k u how I’m [on my way] up there b**ch don’t be ready watch how I act a mf fool b**ch;”
• “[You] think u can do whatever and disrespect me well see;”
• “Bet we don’t do this no more and [I’m] gonna teach u to respect me frfr.”

White also reportedly called the woman several times and sent audio messages with other texts saying he’ll hold “everyone hostage” if she doesn’t answer the phone or come outside.

The woman had replied to White, “get my daughter back to my house.”

Court records stated White continued to threaten and harass her, even videotaping the 5-year-old girl in the backseat in an attempt to bribe the woman into answering her phone.

He texted, “okay I got your kid in the whip stupid… call if [you] want to.”

The probable cause said White also threatened the woman to not call the police while officers were already there. Police began to search for the car after learning of the threats.

White stated on the phone that he was attempting to evade officers he saw were trying to stop him. Police said he threatened to “take the cops on a high-speed chase” with the 5-year-old inside if the woman didn’t pick up the phone and leave with him.

After a 45-minute search, police were able to locate White and brought him in for questioning. They also located the 5-year-old girl and the couple babysitting her in the car.

In a later interview, the couple told officers that they felt White had indirectly threatened them due to the threatening text messages and him claiming if the mother hadn’t picked up the phone, “everyone in the car would end up getting hurt.”

They said they were also in fear from how “erratic” White was acting during the situation. White originally told them there was an emergency with the girl’s mother and that they were going to pick her up.

White told police that he contacted the woman, his girlfriend of four months because he thought the club was slow and that she should come home to be with her daughter.

He added everyone went willingly and he hadn’t made claims of an “emergency.” White said he attempted to flee officers because of his active warrant.

The July 2023 warrant was from a probation violation in a domestic battery case from 2021.

White was charged with:

• kidnapping where the victim is less than 14 years old, Level 5 felony;
• two counts of kidnapping with a vehicle, Level 5 felonies;
• three counts of intimidation where def. draws or uses a deadly weapon, Level 5 felonies;
• intimidation: threat to commit a forcible felony, Level 6 felony;
• theft when having a prior conviction for robbery or burglary, Level 6 felony.

An initial hearing was scheduled for Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.