DAYTON - Feb 5, 2020: Man charged with attempting to Solicit Sex from a Minor

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State investigators say an online chat led to child sex charges for a Rhea County man.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) announced Wednesday that Victor Ryan Welch is accused of attempting to solicit sex from a minor in Maryland last summer.
According to the TBI, a Frederick County, Maryland detective with the department's Internet Crimes against Children (ICAC) posed as a 13-year-old online.

There, the detective and Welch began chatting, leading to Welch asking for sex. The TBI says Maryland police gave them the necessary information about Welch.
On Monday, a Rhea County grand returned indictments against Welch for eight charges: six counts of soliciting sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, and two counts of solicitation of a minor - aggravated statutory rape.

Welch turned himself in to police on Tuesday.
He is currently being held in the Rhea County jail on a $7,500 bond.