Local News

Bastrop ISD teacher James Austin Byrd charged with online solicitation of a minor

By Annie Gimbel

/ CBS Texas

AUSTIN - A 47-year-old teacher from Austin was arrested for online solicitation of a minor on Dec. 27, 2023.

James Austin Byrd, 47  North Richland Hills Police Department

James Austin Byrd is accused of contacting who he thought was a 15-year-old female via the anonymous Whisper chat platform to meet in North Richland Hills.  

Byrd is a teacher in the Austin area's Bastrop Independent School District, according to police.

An investigation by North Richland Hills Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children alongside Fort Worth detectives led to Byrd's arrest.

Other local agencies were involved in the joint operation, according to North Richland Hills police.

Annie Gimbel

Annie Gimbel is an Emmy-nominated digital journalist for CBS News Texas. She was previously a reporter for NBC 5, which launched a digital channel, both on-air and online exclusively using reports she produced, wrote, shot and edited. Her stories have been featured nationally on: CBS News, CBS Moneywatch, CNN, Drudge Report, Entertainment Tonight, ET News, and TMZ to name a few. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime, aerospace & defense, and more.

© 2024 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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