Former Bluffton school volunteer sentenced to 10 years

Former Bluffton Middle School volunteer music teacher Ryan Burd was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Burd arrested in Florida in February 2014, charged with trying to seduce a 14-year-old girl to have sex with him.

Burd had sent a 14-year-old girl Facebook messages implying he wanted to have sex with her and traveled to her home in Alachua County, Fla., to do so twice, according to local authorities.

Burd was charged with using a computer to seduce a minor, traveling to meet after using a computer to lure a minor, and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony, according to court records. A federal charge of using the Internet to try to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity was tacked on in March.

Burd pleaded guilty to the charges in Gainesville, Fla., federal court in July. He was sentenced in December.

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 6:22 PM.