BRYAN, Texas (AP) — A minister from a Dallas-area Baptist megachurch was caught in an Internet sex sting and charged with online solicitation of a minor, police said last week.
Undercover officers posing as a 13-year-old girl communicated with Joe Barron, 52, of Plano for about two weeks. The online conversations were sexual in nature, police said.
On May 6, Mr. Barron suggested meeting the girl in person. He eventually made the nearly 200-mile drive to Bryan last Thursday, when he was arrested. Police said they found a webcam and condoms in his car.
Mr. Barron was released Friday night from the Brazos County Jail on bond. He is one of 40 ministers at Prestonwood Baptist Church — one of the largest churches in the country with 26,000 members.
Mike Buster, executive pastor, said the church never knew of previous improprieties or saw any inappropriate behavior in the 18 months Mr. Barron, who ministers to married adults, was on the staff. He said church officials are fully cooperating with police.
“We are disturbed and saddened by the reports we have heard, and we are praying for the Barron family,” Mr. Buster said.
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