FAYETTE COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — A Texas man pleaded guilty to a sex crime after traveling to Alabama to meet a teen he communicated with on a social media app in 2020.

Court records show 30-year-old De’Airo DeShawn Bryant pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of electronic solicitation of a child. Bryant was 27 at the time of the offense and met the 15-year-old victim through a social media instant messaging app.

In a release, 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andrew Hamlin said Bryant flew to Birmingham and took a taxi to a home in Fayette County to meet the victim. The homeowner later found Bryant in her daughter’s room the following morning and contacted police.

Bryant was sentenced to 25 years in prison following the guilty plea.

Bryant was initially charged with the following prior to entering a guilty plea of electronic solicitation of a child: second-degree rape, three counts of second-degree sodomy, possession of child pornography, transmitting obscene material to a child by computer, enticing a child to enter a room for immoral purposes, traveling to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, electronic solicitation of a child, second-degree burglary and second-degree criminal trespassing.

“This sentence serves as a stark reminder that those who exploit and prey upon vulnerable
minors will be held accountable for their actions,” said Hamlin.