Tuscaloosa Man Charged With Sex Crimes Involving Minors For Second Time Since August

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Tuscaloosa man with a prior record of alleged sexual offenses is in custody on multiple felony charges after being arrested Monday morning by the West Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force.

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Captain Phil Simpson, commander of the multiagency task force, told local media that Jalan Christopher Lewis, 30, has been charged with two counts of second-degree rape, traveling to meet a minor for an unlawful sex act, facilitating the travel of a minor for an unlawful sex act, production of child sexual abuse material and dissemination of child sexual abuse material.

Lewis is currently being held at the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond.

Unrelated to Monday's arrest, Lewis was charged in August during an operation targeting adults who used social media apps to arrange sex with minors.

In that case, Lewis was one of eight men who communicated with an undercover officer he believed was a teenage girl.

According to a deposition and charge sheet obtained by Tuscaloosa Patch, Task Force officers working an undercover detail in August, included an undercover officer who assumed the persona of a female that was under 16 years of age on social media sites and applications.

The court documents alleges that Lewis made contact with the undercover officer and began texting on Aug. 3, when he texted that he wanted to "make love to you" and on Aug. 9 when he texted that "I want to taste you."

The undercover officer provided Lewis with the address and he traveled to the residence, where he was taken into custody by Task Force officers.

During an interview with investigators, Lewis reportedly acknowledged that he traveled to the residence with the intention of having a sexual encounter with a female he believed to be under 16 years of age.

Lewis was charged with traveling to meet a minor for an unlawful sex act and electronic solicitation of a child. He was released on $30,000 bond on Aug. 12, 2024, before being indicted by a grand jury in November.

His cases relating to the August arrest are pending in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court.

Despite the accusations he was already facing, Task Force investigators discovered Lewis was soliciting teenage girls online and meeting them for sex, which prompted his arrest on Monday.

"These cases demonstrate why our proactive investigations are so critical," Simpson said. "This case confirms what we've long known: suspects caught in undercover operations are often seeking real victims in our community."

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