A man accused of sending more than 1,600 sexually explicit text messages - commonly known as "sexting" - to a teenage girl is out on bond.

DeKalb County, Ala. Sheriff Jimmy Harris said Friday that 40-year-old Garry Don Galloway was released on $15,000 bond. He was arrested Wednesday and charged with 27 counts of harassing communications and contributing to the deliquency of a child.

Police say Galloway is a friend of the 15-year-old girl's family.

The messages were discovered when a teacher confiscated the girl's phone because the teen was text messaging during class.

Authorities say Galloway sent the messages to the girl over a 30-day period about a year ago.