A 19-year-old Osceola woman arrested in Maumelle after police reported finding sexually explicit photographs of a 15-year-old girl on her cellphone made her first appearance in Pulaski County Circuit Court on Monday to answer charges that could send her to prison for 90 years.
Brianna Nicole Byrd pleaded innocent to nine counts of possessing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. The charge is a Class C felony that carries a 10-year maximum sentence. Circuit Judge Barry Sims scheduled her trial for March.
Court records show Byrd was arrested June 21 at the Quality Suites hotel at 14322 Frontier Drive by Maumelle police who were alerted by an Osceola police officer.
The Osceola officer was investigating concerns that Byrd had been arranging for the 15-year-old girl to have sex with men.
Byrd gave officers permission to search her cellphone and investigators found naked pictures of the girl, according to an arrest report.
During a recorded interview, Byrd told investigators that she had taken the photos while staying in the hotel between June 7 and June 12. Byrd said she had since deleted the pictures, although police were able to recover them.
Byrd denied pimping the girl, telling police the girl had consensual sex with a 17-year-old Maumelle boy.
After she was placed in state custody, the girl told authorities that she had been raped by two adult relatives, the report said.
Byrd spent three days in jail before posting $20,000 bond. No further charges have been filed.
NW News on 10/17/2018