42 Year Old TX Teacher Arrested After Soliciting 15 Year Old Girl Online

A former Bastrop ISD Employee was arrested for online solicitation of a minor! According to police reports from the North Richland Police Department, 42-year-old James Byrd contacted who he believed was a 15-year-old girl on Whisper, an online chatting platform on December 27th, 2023.

According to Fox 7, the Police investigation ultimately led to Byrd contacting the child and agreeing to meet with her in the Dallas area. He was arrested and charged with online solicitation of a minor. Byrd was a history teacher at Cedar Creek High School from Aug. 7, 2019, to Jan. 4. During the break, the district says it learned of Byrd's arrest, and he was placed on administrative leave. Byrd resigned from his position on Jan. 4. He is out on a $75,000 bond.  Byrd was cleared to teach grades 4 through 12 and is currently being investigated by the Texas Education Agency.

Earlier this year, the Hermleigh Girls softball team had a magical run and won the school's first state championship in history, for any sport! Hermleigh is located in central Texas.   According to the article, The softball team won the 1A State Championship. and the players and parents expected a monument would be built to celebrate the great achievement like it is done at other schools, but that wasn’t the case. Winters says the board refused to pay for the monument and was initially denied!

So after, players, fans, and families found a way to raise money, the board let a motion to vote on the topic die without a decision being made. Things escalated not only in their small town but on social media as well.

@ivangtv This school board has made everyone angry #hermleightx #softball #texas #highschool #foryou ♬ Ambient-style emotional piano - MoppySound

AN UPDATE BRINGS GOOD NEWS FOR THE TEAM...

@ivangtv Replying to @Emily Marie update to the school board that has made everyone angry #hermleightx #softball #texas #highschool #foryou ♬ Ambient-style emotional piano - MoppySound

According to this article, During public comments, one of the athletes spoke to the board saying, “For once in school history we were able to bring home the title, but yet you as board members are denying us the right to have our names put on a donated state monument. "

The softball player also said, “No penny would come out of yall’s pocket all we need is approval to be able to put it on school grounds so that everyone from future generations can see what we have done what we worked and put in all of our time for.” Now, it wasn’t just athletes making their voices heard Wednesday night. Parents and other community member showed up to fight for the Lady Cardinals.

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