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Jun 4, 2008 9:46 pm US/Central
Former Pastor Indicted On More Online Sex Charges
Information On Cell Phone Leads To 2nd Arrest
BRYAN (CBS 11 News) ―
A former North Texas pastor has been arrested again for online solicitation of a minor and now faces more charges in Central Texas and Louisiana.
Joe Barron, formerly of the Prestonwood Baptist Church, was arrested in Bryan on June 4 after being recognized by a constable. Barron had been free on bond after his initial arrest. It is unclear why he was in town.
He was booked into the Brazos County Jail on four additional charges of online solicitation of a minor for sexual contact. Sources say the additional charges are the result of information discovered on his cell phone during their initial investigation, which led to his arrest last month.
Police say on May 15, Barron drove more than three hours to have sex with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Police say he had exchanged sexually explicit messages with the teen for about two weeks.
When he arrived at a location predetermined by he and the "girl," police arrested him and searched his car. Officers found 10 condoms and a computer camera they believe he was going to give "the girl" as a gift.
Police say around the same time he thought he was speaking with the 13-year-old girl, he was also communicating with a person he thought to be a child in Caddo Parrish, Louisiana. However, that also turned out to be a sting by the police department. As a result, Barron was charged with two counts of computer solicitation for sex in the State of Louisiana.
He is now being held without bond in the Brazos County Jail until he appears before a judge Thursday morning.
The 52-year-old was a senior minister who worked with married adults at Prestonwood Baptist Church. The church has a membership of 26,000 and is located Plano.
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