ASHEVILLE — An Asheville man pleaded guilty May 28 to soliciting Buncombe County Detention Facility inmates to murder a detective investigating him for a child sex crime and a family member of the 14-year-old victim.

Austin Dakota Haynie, 23, of Asheville, pleaded guilty in Buncombe County Superior Court to two counts of felony solicit to commit first degree murder and one count of felony indecent liberties with a minor. Superior Court Judge Steve Warren sentenced Haynie to three active consecutive sentences for a total prison term of 162 to 229 months, or up to 19 years, in prison.

On Feb. 7, 2023, a family member of the minor victim found Haynie hiding in the child’s closet and the family immediately contacted law enforcement, according to a news release from the District Attorney’s Office.

The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office conducted interviews with the minor, leading to the disclosure of an ongoing sexual relationship between Haynie and the victim, the release said. Investigators also found text messages corroborating the relationship, and Haynie later confessed to the sexual relationship.

Haynie was 22 at the time and the victim was 14. In North Carolina, persons under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to sexual activity.

After he was arrested for an original charge of statutory rape of a child on March 16, 2023, Haynie attempted to hire inmates in the Buncombe County jail to murder the family member who found him hiding in the closet and the lead detective investigating the sex crime, according to the release. Haynie provided details about both individuals he wanted killed and offered a reward to be paid upon completion.

An inmate revealed Haynie’s plot to law enforcement, leading to two charges for soliciting first degree murder for hire.

The family member of the minor and the detective submitted statements in the case and requested that Warren give Haynie the maximum sentence, according to the release.

Once Haynie is released from prison, he must register as a sex offender for 30 years and have no contact with the minor victim for the rest of his life.

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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville man pleads guilty to soliciting first degree murder for hire