Texas megachurch minister caught in Internet *** sting
52-year-old man busted after driving 200 miles in wife's car to have
*** with 13-year-old girl
2008 WorldNetDaily
A minister at one of Texas' largest megachurches was arrested this
week after driving his wife's car 200 miles for a planned liaison with
a 13-year-old girl he met on the Internet.
Greeting Rev. Joe Barron, minister to married adults at the 26,000-
member Prestonwood Baptist Church, near Dallas, when he arrived
Thursday, with a package of condoms on the car seat, were members of
the Bryan, Texas, police force.
Bryan police said Barron had been chatting online for about two weeks
with an officer who he thought was a 13-year-old girl, participating
in ***ually explicit conversations.
On Tuesday, Barron asked the girl to skip school and meet him, police
told the Dallas Morning News.
"Of course, our officers replied that they would," Officer Lesley
Mali****, spokeswoman for the Bryan Police Department, said. "He had
been on a business trip and was coming to see her after he was done
with this business trip."
On Thursday, he drove three hours to meet the girl at a parking lot
and chatted with "her" by telephone along the way. He was arrested
without incident.
Police found a box of 10 condoms inside the car, a Web camera and a
headset police believe he was planning to give the girl.
"It is common for people that are engaged in this type of activity" to
give gifts to the minors that "they are grooming," said Mali****.
Police are investigating evidence Barron may have had similar online
conversations with more than a dozen minor girls. A desktop computer,
two laptops, numerous computer disks and memory cards have been
seized.
"Going through the computer equipment will be very telling," Mali****
said.
Police also were given access to Barron's church computer but it was
not seized because church officials said software installed on it
prevented users from entering a chatroom. They said they would be
checking its contents to be certain "there's no inappropriate
material" on it.
Police discovered Barron was a minister during questioning.
"He said he was feeling guilt and shame and grief," said Malinik.
Barron is the 12th man arrested since November 2006 in Byran's sting
operation. "This is the first person that is this prominent that we've
arrested," Malinik said.
Barron is one of about 40 ministers at the megachurch. He has served
as senior pastor and minister of education in other Texas Baptist
churches.
"We are disturbed and saddened by the re****ts we have heard and we are
praying for the Barron family," said Mike Buster, executive pastor at
Prestonwood. "We are fully cooperating with the police in their
investigation."
Associated Press re****ted the Rev. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood
Baptist Church, announced during services today that the church has
accepted Barron's resignation, effective immediately.
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