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A Santa Clarita man accused of engaging in a relationship with an underage teen girl pleaded no contest Thursday
A Santa Clarita man accused of engaging in a relationship with an underage teen girl pleaded no contest Thursday

Canyon Country Man Takes Plea In Sex Crime Case

A Santa Clarita man accused of engaging in a relationship with an underage teen girl pleaded no contest Thursday.


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Michael Byrne, 23, of Canyon Country, faced preliminary arraignment in November on five counts — meeting a minor for lewd behavior, two counts of oral copulation with a minor under 16 years of age, sexual penetration by a foreign object and unlawful sexual conduct.

He pleaded in court to one count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes.

He’s expected to receive credit for time served, probation and ordered to register as a sex offender, according to the terms of a plea, when he’s sentenced next month.

He has been in custody since Nov. 17, in lieu of $175,000 bail, according to Sheriff’s Department arrest records.

Detectives suspect he used a social media app called Whisper to meet a 15-year-old Santa Clarita girl, officials said. The two then allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship. The crimes happened on or between Aug. 1-16 of last year, according to the complaint.

If he had been convicted of all charges, Byrne faced a maximum of seven years in state prison, according to officials with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The charges are much more severe if the alleged victim is age 14 or under, according to state law.

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Canyon Country Man Takes Plea In Sex Crime Case

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.