Colton Tyler Ryan appears inset against an image of an apartment complex where a child was bitten like a vampire on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. (Harris County Sheriff’s Office; Google Maps)
A Texas man is facing multiple charges after allegedly biting a child’s neck and then demanding to repeat the criminal encounter.
Colton Tyler Ryan, 27, stands accused of enticing a child with intent to commit sexual assault and injury to a child under the age of 15, according to Harris County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The defendant and the victim are not related.
The underlying incident occurred on Friday, Oct. 13, according to one of three criminal complaints filed against the defendant.
Prosecutors say the 10-year-old victim told law enforcement that he was playing with his friends “when the defendant singled him out, separated him from his friends and forced him into the apartment gym restroom,” according to a bail motion filed by the state. Inside the restroom, Ryan allegedly took a picture of himself and the boy “with their arms around each other’s waists,” the motion alleges.
“The [boy] stated [Ryan] raised his voice at [him] and forced him to take the photo with him,” the motion for sufficient bail reads.
After that, the defendant allegedly “sucked and bit on [the boy’s] neck like a ‘vampire”” and caused him pain, the court document says.
During a Wednesday court appearance, Harris County District Court Judge Beverly D. Armstrong alleged that Ryan also took the boy’s cellular phone from him while inside the bathroom, downloaded the Facebook Messenger app, and then used the app to communicate with the child and insisted upon another meeting, according to a courtroom report by Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK.
“Despite knowing the [boy’s mother] did not approve of contact with or ‘playing’ with the [boy] [Ryan] insisted on contacting the [boy] to meet up and ‘play,’” the motion reads. “[Ryan] stated he wanted to play with the [the boy] ‘just like’ on Friday, October 13, 2023, when [Ryan] sucked and bit on the [boy’s] neck like a ‘vampire’ causing him pain.”
But, the state alleges, the defendant’s insistence on reenacting the crime wasn’t limited to the digital sphere alone.
“[Ryan] messaged the child at all hours of the day and night attempting to meet up with the child in person knowing the [boy’s mother] did not approve,” the bail motion continues. “The child and his Mother observed the Defendant lurking around their apartment and circling the building wanting to meet up with the child knowing the [boy’s mother] did not approve.”
After finding the messages on the boy’s phone, his mother called police.
The state also alleges that the defendant, through his actions, intended to interfere with the mother’s lawful custody of her son.
Ryan was assessed $50,000 bail by Judge Armstrong on the enticing charge alone. A bail hearing on the injury charge is pending.
If he can make it out, he will be subject to several conditions including having no contact with the victim, no contact with anyone under the age of 17, not attending any event that includes anyone under the age of 17, remaining at least 1,000 feet away from anywhere children usually gather, staying at least 100 feet away from where the victim lives and goes to school, and he has to stay off of social media.
Ryan was arrested and detained in the Harris County Jail on Oct. 16. He is next slated to appear in court on Friday.
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