A former Sparta village council member is now facing federal child-sex crime charges.
Wednesday a federal grand jury indicted 34-year-old Ryan Hayes on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, and attempted coercion. The prosecution alleged that Hayes got a 16-year-old girl to perform a sex act, and took photos of her on a cell phone. They also say he tried to do the same thing with someone he thought was was a 14-year-old girl he met online.
It turned out to be an undercover Kent County deputy. If convicted on the federal charges, Hayes faces up to life in prison. Hayes is facing separate "state" charges of "soliciting a teenager for sex." He resigned from the Sparta village council last month.
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