Ex-Sparta councilman indicted for child sex crimes

SPARTA, Mich. (WOOD) — A former Sparta councilman has been charged by a grand jury with sex crimes against teen girls.

The federal indictment filed Wednesday charges 34-year-old Ryan James Hayes with sexual exploitation of a minor and attempted coercion and enticement in connection to two incidents.

The indictment accuses Hayes of using a 16-year-old girl for sexual explicit conduct, which he recorded on his cellphone. The indictment says that crime happened around April 11 in Ottawa County.

Five months later, Hayes was caught by an undercover officer in an FBI sting. The indictment says Hayes thought the person he was trying to convince to have sex with him was a 14-year-old girl; however, it turned out to be an officer.

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