Colonie Police: Clifton Park man, a sex offender, sent explicit messages intended for child

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Gary J. Ryan

COLONIE – A Clifton Park man and Level 1 sex offender has been arrested, accused of sending sexually explicit photos to someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy, Colonie police said.

The investigation involved police assuming the identity of an actual 14-year-old boy whom police described as a potential victim of the man.

Gary J. Ryan, 47, of 1639 Route 9, Apt. 15, was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of first-degree attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor, a felony.

Police arrested Ryan after a two-month investigation into his online attempts to engage a 14-year-old boy in conversations about sexual contact, police said.

Ryan on three occasions in December and January messaged undercover investigators posing as the boy and sent the explicit photos, police said.

Investigators searched Ryan’s residence and seized his digital devices for examination.

Investigators believe Ryan made other attempts at contact with children locally and that he also traveled out of state recently in an unsuccessful attempt to meet an underage person.

Ryan is listed on the state sex offender registry as a Level 1 offender, the lowest level, after similar allegations from 2008 investigated by state police and the Nassau County Police Department, police said.

Police ask that anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Ryan or who has information to contact Colonie at 518-783-2714.

Also Tuesday