The case involving longtime Buckley City Councilman Randy Reed took a sudden and dramatic turn last week, when his 31-year-old son was charged with attempting to bribe a witness.

The elder Reed was hit in September with two charges stemming from allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with a young girl. Now, his son is alleged to have contacted the victim’s mother, offering money if she would agree to drop the charges.

Randy Reed, 54, was charged with first-degree child rape and first-degree child molestation. Pierce County Superior Court papers allege he inappropriately touched a 7-year-old and exposed himself to her; it also is alleged he had the girl touch him.

Court documents indicate the 7 year old and her mother were living with Reed at the time of the alleged crimes, as the mother was in a relationship with Travis Reed. The incident apparently came to light when the girl made the allegations known to her mother, who notified the Buckley Police Department.

Now, county prosecutors allege that one week after his father was charged, Travis Reed sent text messages to the mother, offering up to $12,000 in exchange for her cooperation.

A court document details that the mother “received cellular telephone text messages from the defendant (Travis Reed) informing her that he was willing to place $200 per month in an account for (the daughter) until the time of her eighteenth birthday, for a total of $12,000, in exchange for Ms. Guthrie dropping the charges against his father, Randy Reed.”

The girl’s mother apparently was adamant in her refusal.

Charging papers indicate she told Travis Reed she “could not, nor would not, drop the charges against his father.”

Instead, the mother contacted Buckley Police Department Detective Jeff Plaster, who took her cell phone and secured copies of the text messages. Plaster then obtained a search warrant and obtained Travis Reed’s cell phone records from the Sprint Corporation. Text messages between the two phones matched.

Reed’s term on the Buckley City Council expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Travis Reed’s arraignment took place at 9 a.m. June 6 in the County City Building in Tacoma. Randy Reed is scheduled for trial on July 10.