Bryan sentenced to 30 years for Enticing a Minor

(Franklin, GA) — A local man received the maximum possible sentence in Heard County Superior Court this week after being found guilty during a December jury trial of Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes.

Coweta Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Dennis Blackmon sentenced Joe Randall Bryan Tuesday to 30 years with 29 years to be served in state prison and one year to be served on probation.

Bryan will also be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Joe Randall Bryan (Photo: HCSO)

He was 56-years-old at the time of his arrest by local authorities on January 28, 2017.

According to a press release issued after last month’s trial by the DA’s office, evidence revealed that Bryan met a 15 year-old female over the internet and subsequently secretly communicated with her for several months.

These communications included explicit discussions of sexual acts.

The child ultimately revealed where she lived, and the defendant discreetly began dropping off gifts at her residence before eventually arranging a time to pick the teen up near her home.

That morning, the victim’s father became concerned when he looked out and saw his daughter walking towards the end of the driveway as a strange car slowed down.

The child’s father quickly got into his truck to locate where his daughter had gone.

A short distance from the residence, out of the corner of his eye, the child’s father came upon a vehicle parked on a secluded hunting road, with his daughter seated in the passenger seat and the defendant, a stranger, in the driver’s seat.

The child’s father prevented Bryan from leaving and called 911. Bryan claimed he was just there to talk with the child and to bring her some Skittles.

The investigation was conducted by Investigator Dan Boswell with the Heard County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Paul Spann.

Bryan was transported yesterday to the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson.

The Jackson prison serves as a central hub where sentenced felons begin the process of being admitted into the Georgia State Correctional System.

The trial was the first jury trial held in Heard County’s newly renovated courthouse, and it was the first criminal jury trial to be held in Heard County in several years.