A Meeker School Board member, who was re-elected to a new five-year term without opposition last December, has been charged with soliciting prostitution.
Bret Wood, 53, was charged on June 16 of this year with the misdemeanor. He is accused of between Aug. 23, 2020 and Sep. 25, 2020, in Meeker with soliciting prostitution by soliciting, inducing, enticing or procuring another to commit an act of lewdness, assignation or prostitution with himself for monetary payment.
Court records showed initially a bench warrant was issued for his arrest, but the warrant was returned and filed by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office on June 21.
He made his initial appearance last week on July 21 before Special Judge Emily Mueller. He was accompanied by his attorney, Marianne Miller.
Judge Mueller set Wood for the disposition docket at 10 a.m. on Oct. 7.
Attempts to determine if Wood is still on the Meeker School Board were unsuccessful.
The investigation of the case was conducted by Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff George Kelly Coleman and began on Aug. 20, 2021 when Coleman spoke to Lauren Wood at the Sheriff’s Office.
In a probable cause affidavit, Coleman states at the time he spoke with Lauren Wood she had since separated from her husband, Bret Wood.
Meeker Police Chief Trent Norton confirmed his department also has an investigation under way regarding Wood. He emphasized their investigation was at the request of the district attorney’s office and is not related to the soliciting prostitution case.
Coleman states in the affidavit that Lauren wanted to report possible child neglect/ endangerment and soliciting prostitution that occurred at her residence during September of 2020.
She informed the deputy that Bret Wood no longer lived at the home. She further advised Coleman the children in question were foster children ages 1 and 6 and they no longer lived in the home either.
According to the affidavit, Lauren had taken her son for an overnight sleep study and Bret was left at home with the foster children. She informed the deputy she found evidence on Bret’s cell phone that he had gotten intoxicated, solicited sex from a prostitute via text, then left the home to meet with the prostitute, bringing her back to their home to have sex.