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

SANDY — 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.

“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.

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.

“If this is going to start some sort of trend through social media, I would like to say, let’s nip it in the bud now,” Moffitt said. “Because there is so much that goes on, and you don’t really know who you’re dealing with.”

Police said they’re concerned about the teen’s motivations, and the safety of the victim that was in contact with Ray.

“I would be really upset if some of my daughter’s friends decided they were going to put my daughter out as bait,” Moffit said. “And that’s what it’s referred to in one of the videos, ‘Here’s our bait.’ I’d have some real issues with that.”

Moffit said the best thing you can do when something like this happens is to be a good witness and get as much information as you can, and then contact the police.

As officers were arresting Ray, they found $360 in his pocket, the charges state.

Prosecutors have requested Ray be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.

KSL TV has updated this story, originally published by KSL.com.