Tulsa Repeat Offender Faces Life In Prison For Child Molestation

When a Tulsa man is sentenced next month for child molestation, he will face one of two sentences: life in prison with or without the possibility for parole.

The punishment is so severe, because prosecutors say he has molested a number of young boys over the last 28 years.

Michael Bauhaus pleaded guilty on February 11. He will once again be headed to prison, but this time it'll be for good.

Prosecutors say Bauhaus preyed on the most vulnerable of young boys, specifically picking boys with disabilities or who came from broken homes, between the ages of 9 and 14 years old.

2/12/2013 Related Story: Repeat Offender Enters Blind Plea To Tulsa Molestation Charges

His most recent victim fit that profile. The boy's father had passed away and he has Asperger's syndrome, so even though he's 15, he functions at the level of an 8 or 9-year-old.

Prosecutors say Bauhaus got access to so many boys over the years by making a point of putting himself where young boys would be. They say he worked at and traveled with medieval fairs, where he worked with birds of prey, like falcons and hawks.

They say he had become like a father figure to his most recent victim and encouraged the boy's interest in the birds.

They say, before that, Bauhaus volunteered for the Royal Rangers Christian Youth Group, the Boy Scouts and a Methodist church. Prosecutors say he also connected with boys at the Tulsa Boys' Home and Rader, a prison for teenage boys, and went through the training for Big Brothers.

He even tried to become a foster parent for a troubled boy, but was denied, prosecutors say.

And he volunteered in the psychiatric ward at Children's Medical Center. Court records show he got in trouble at the hospital for taking boys to his home, and admitted sleeping in the same sleeping bag with boys on camping trips. Prosecutors say he admitted to giving them rubdowns or massages that would turn sexual.

The most recent victim says Bauhaus used painful pressure points on the boy's back to get him to comply, and then texted the boy later, saying he was sorry, but that he just couldn't help himself.

Records show Bauhaus was first investigated by Tulsa Police in 1985. He was sentenced to three years in prison and six years of probation for several counts of forcible sodomy.

Just when that sentence was ending, he was caught again, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for molestation. He got out after serving a little more than four years.

In this most recent case, Bauhaus has once again pleaded guilty to molestation. When he pleaded, the judge said asked him if he understood that he would receive a life sentence, with parole or without, and Bauhaus said he understood.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 1.