Jefferson County Man Now Faces Child Rape Charges

A Jefferson County man has now been charged with raping a child. According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office, On March 27, Deputies were dispatched to a residence in New Market on a report of suspicious activity. Deputies discovered evidence of possible child sex crimes after they arrived at that residence. Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division and Internet Crimes Against Children responded to the scene and that resulted in the arrest of 59 year old Leslie Byrd. He was originally charged with

(1) 3 counts of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a minor

(2) 3 counts of Unlawful photograph

(3) Aggravated Sexual Battery

(4) Unlawful possession of a child like sex doll.

However, investigators recently utilized the East Tn High Tech Task Force to obtain additional digital evidence. On Tuesday that led investigators to further charge Byrd with 4 counts of Especially Aggravated Rape of a child. His original bond of $500,000 has now been increased to $1 million. He remains in custody at the Jefferson County Detention Center in Dandridge.