A Lowell man accused of organizing the city's illegal youth bike week takeovers was arraigned Thursday on a charge of possession of child pornography after state police say they found disturbing images and videos on his cellphone, including one showing a naked infant. Randy Bouatick, already a registered Level 2 sex offender living in Lowell, faces a single count tied to the discovery, and prosecutors say the investigation is far from over.
According to WCVB, Massachusetts State Police seized and examined Bouatick's phone as part of a probe into his alleged organization of illegal bike week street takeovers, events that have drawn young people to Lowell streets on two wheels. Police say the device contained videos of Bouatick having sex with an underage boy, along with footage showing unidentified individuals having sex with boys approximately 8 to 10 years old, per the police report cited by the station. Bouatick's attorney declined to comment when reached by the outlet.
Bouatick was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and arraigned Thursday in Lowell, per the same account. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office said the investigation is ongoing, leaving open how many additional images or videos investigators recovered and whether more charges could follow.
A Registered Sex Offender With a History of Public Alerts
Bouatick's sex offender registration traces back to an October 2002 conviction for rape and abuse of a child, according to public sex offender registry records reviewed by USA Laws Searching. Under Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board regulations, his current Level 2 classification signifies a moderate risk of reoffending and a moderate danger to the public, a step below the high-risk Level 3 designation, according to guidance published by Mass.gov.
This is not the first time Bouatick has drawn law enforcement attention for activity involving a bicycle in public. In May 2020, the Westford Police Department issued a public safety alert after he was spotted riding a bicycle while wearing a security guard uniform and handcuffs on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, noting at the time that he was a registered Level 3 sex offender — a higher classification than the one he currently holds. Westford sits just north of Lowell.
Lowell's Long Fight Against Illegal Bike Takeovers
The bike week takeovers Bouatick allegedly organized fit into a pattern of organized street activity that has vexed Lowell and the wider Merrimack Valley for years. In June, the Lowell Police Department led a multi-agency operation with state and environmental police against illegal dirt bike, moped, and street takeover activity, resulting in five arrests, nine criminal summonses, 24 traffic citations, and 20 towed vehicles, city officials said, citing ongoing risks to pedestrians and motorists.
That crackdown built on a regional response that dates back to June 2022, when eight Merrimack Valley police departments — including Lowell, Lawrence, Methuen, and Chelmsford — formed a task force specifically to curb coordinated dirt bike and ATV street takeovers, according to reporting at the time. Lowell police also run a dedicated tip line, [email protected], allowing residents to anonymously report organizers, routes, and gatherings tied to the takeovers. The department separately maintains a full-time detective position to track registered sex offenders living in the city and notify neighborhoods when offenders move in.
Possible Penalties and a Broader State Crackdown
Under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 272, Section 29C, a first offense for knowingly possessing child pornography carries up to five years in state prison or 2.5 years in a house of correction, along with fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000, according to a summary from Sweeney & Associates, LLC. Bouatick's case has not been described as federal, but Hoodline has previously noted that federal child sexual abuse material charges in Massachusetts carry statutory maximums of up to 20 years in prison, a threshold prosecutors have used in other recent state cases, including a Cape Cod Guardsman sentenced to 78 months for sharing child abuse videos of infants.
The case also arrives amid an intensified statewide push against digital child exploitation. In November, Massachusetts State Police executed Operation Firewall, a statewide initiative that resulted in 56 arrests for child pornography possession and failure to register as sex offenders, along with the seizure of 229 electronic devices, according to CBS News. It remains unclear whether investigators have identified additional victims or whether other minors involved in Lowell's bike takeover scene have been questioned as part of the ongoing probe into Bouatick.
Lowell has seen other recent enforcement actions tied to illegal bike activity, including an e-bike rider held without bail after a gun-pointing incident on Gorham Street last month. For now, the district attorney's office has said only that its investigation into Bouatick continues, and no additional charges have been announced.
