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

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

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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.

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