CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — A Vivian man pleaded guilty to indecent behavior in a Caddo Parish District Court Thursday.

According to the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s Office, 40-year-old Christopher James Fuller pleaded guilty to indecent behavior just before the jury selection Thursday. Fuller sent lewd text messages to a teenage girl in May 2020, just days after her birthday. He was 38 at the time of the crime.

Fuller urged the victim, who was a close family friend, to keep their conversations a secret and even offered her money to pay her phone bill in exchange. The District Attorney said Fuller asked her when she could “get away” for a couple of hours during the day or night, and ultimately he sent unsolicited sexual messages to the girl, despite knowing her age. The victim told a parent about the messages, and the police began an investigation.

The case had been set for trial in July, but Fuller was out on bond and failed to appear. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest, but he surrendered to police in September.

Sentencing is set for November 9, 2022, with Fuller facing up to seven years in prison at hard labor.