LA PORTE, Texas — La Porte police are looking for an Indiana man who they say drove to Texas last month to have sex with an underage girl he met online.
Ryan Alexander Steele, 25, is charged with online solicitation of a minor.
Court documents reveal disturbing details, including that Steele began communicating with the girl five years ago when she was only 10.
In text messages found on her phone, Steele told her he was driving from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Texas to have sexual intercourse with her. He was then planning to take her back to Indiana to live with him.
The case first came to light when Steele showed up on March 26 at the girl's grandparents' home in La Porte where she was supposed to be spending the weekend. The grandfather noticed a white SUV parked outside. When he confronted the driver, the man asked if his granddaughter was home. He left when the grandfather told him she wasn't there.
The girl's mother and stepfather called police when they found sexually explicit messages from Steele on her phone.
Police interviewed the 15-year-old and her mother and the girl admitted she'd been communicating with Steele on Instagram, Discord and other social media apps for five years.
Investigators said Steele used his real name and they identified him through phone records, and surveillance cameras placed Steele in La Porte.
She said the messages turned sexual in nature more recently. The court documents include a transcript of the messages from him.
March 9: "We made [sic] actually have to get our own place, I think we made [sic] disturb the other person with all the noise we're going to make. On the table, against the wall, on the couch, in the shower, in bed of course, s--t, probably just on the floor too."
March 10: "So I got a couple questions you can answer them whenever. When you move in do you want your own room or do you want my room to become our room? Should we get "toys" to use? Simple questions like that."
March 11: "Question, are you gonna bring birth control with you, or should we buy some later, or should I just bring condoms?"
March 17: "God, just 7 more days, God time can not move fast enough."
March 23: "I'm stopping on my way home to get a pack of rubber and then I'll be heading home too. I think 46 rubbers are enough for a bit."
March 24: "I just stopped to gas up for the first time but I'm getting back on the road and I'm on my way"
After Steele arrived at the grandparents' home and learned the girl wasn't there, he eventually gave up and headed back to Indiana, according to court documents.
March 26: "We'll have to try again in another week or 2 I guess. I can't believe I was down there for 3ish days and we didn't get to see each other"
We've reached out to the La Porte Police Department for comment they say their primary concern is for the victim's protection and privacy. When appropriate they will do a full media release.