Man offered to pay teen for sex in Sandy, where he was confronted by 20 teens, police say

SANDY, Utah — A Weber County man who police say traveled to Sandy where he thought he was going to pay a teenage girl for sex was arrested after he was confronted by about 20 other teenagers after he arrived.

Bryce Stephen Ray, 49, of West Haven, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with enticing a minor and sexual solicitation of a child, second-degree felonies.

On Monday, Sandy police say Ray communicated with a 15-year-old girl on Snapchat and later offered the girl money in exchange for sex so she could buy clothes. He said he would give the girl about $350 in cash and use a cash app to send $350 more, according to charging documents.

The girl told Ray she was a minor. However, police say they agreed to meet at the Shops at South Town, 10450 S.State.

Related: Bountiful man arrested for enticing a minor after vigilante group ‘Predator Poachers’ tipped police

“Bryce did not provide his real name. He used a Snapchat screen name. Bryce, however, provided a picture of himself prior to the meeting,” a police booking affidavit states.

Man confronted by teens

Sandy police say they were notified Tuesday of a fight happening at the mall and arrived to find “a group of approximately 20 teenagers yelling at an older male, later identified as Bryce Stephen Ray, calling him a pedophile,” according to the charges.

Sandy police said they are concerned the teenagers are putting themselves in danger, and could be compromising evidence by taking matters into their own hands.

Sergeant Greg Moffitt said there is a lot of digital evidence to work through, including videos taken by the group of teenagers.

The teenagers shared a video of the incident on TikTok. In another video, one teenager posted KSL’s article on Ray’s arrest and included a clip of them kicking the suspect.

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