Bryan/College Station Eagle - Minister arrested in sex sting

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Published Friday, May 16, 2008 2:12 AM

Minister arrested in sex sting

By MATTHEW WATKINS
Eagle Staff Writer

A minister at a Plano megachurch was arrested in Bryan early Thursday after he drove more than three hours to have sex with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl, police said.

The person with whom 52-year-old Joe Barron had been chatting online was a Bryan police officer conducting a sting operation.

He was one of two men arrested in a 48-hour period on charges of online solicitation of sex with a minor after investigators posed online as young girls. The crime is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The other arrest was made Tuesday when 34-year-old Bryan resident Christopher Scott Kazmierski tried to make the same connection as Barron, authorities said.

Five other men were in touch with officers pretending to be teens over the past week, but they never showed.

Barron serves as a minister at the 26,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church. He is not the church's main pastor, but he has counseled married couples and was planning to lead a mission trip to Bogota, Colombia, in August, according to the church's Web site. The church has at least 20 ministers on its staff, according to the site.

Messages left at the church elicited no response Thursday evening.

Police said they began chatting with Barron online about two weeks before he made the drive to Bryan. During that time, he told "the girl" he wanted to have sex with her and requested that she skip school Thursday and meet with him.

Undercover officers arranged the meeting at a predetermined location in Bryan on Thursday morning.

"He said that he had moved around his work schedule so he could come to town," said Sgt. Shane Bush, who leads a vice unit called the Directed Deployment Team that runs the stings.

Police inconspicuously surrounded the lot with surveillance vans and unmarked trucks, then waited nearly two hours for him to arrive. In the meantime, the man was chatting online with the undercover officer on his phone while he drove.

"It's like hurry up and wait when you are investigating these things," said Sgt. Sharean Gideon as she waited for more than an hour in a van across the street from the meeting point.

Barron arrived about 10:30 a.m. in a different car than the one he had described during his chat, and he went to a lot adjacent to the arranged meeting point.

After brief confusion because he parked in a different spot than he had said he would, officers swept in to make the arrest.

An officer approached the man's car with his pistol pointed while Barron fiddled with something in the center console. Barron, dressed in a blue striped golf shirt and blue jeans, quickly lifted his hands in the air and surrendered to police without incident. Barron was handcuffed and escorted to a patrol car as his eyes welled up with tears.

Officers searched his car and found a computer camera that they later said he was going to give the girl as a gift. They also found 10 condoms folded inside a golf ball box in the back, officers said.

He's expected to go before a judge for a bail hearing Friday.

The investigation involving the Bryan resident earlier in the week went more quickly.

Bush said Kazmierski contacted an officer who was online using a screen name that suggested he was a young girl. Within a half-hour, authorities said, Kazmierski arranged to meet the girl at a specific location. Officers said they scrambled to get in place before Kazmierski arrived.

When he did, police arrested him and found condoms in his car, with a receipt saying he had bought them 10 minutes earlier, according to court documents.

"Please, God, let me go home," he said as police pushed him into a squad car, according to officers and court documents. "Please have mercy."

He remained jailed late Thursday in lieu of $9,000 bail.

• Matthew Watkins' e-mail address is matthew.watkins@theeagle.com.

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31 comment(s) found!

Posted by: REDA55 On: 5/20/2008

Comment Title: 2 less criminals
I makes me sick to know that both of these criminals paid a couple of bucks and they are back on the streets for now. They both need to do the world a favor, for our kids sake, there is only one way to "cure" their sickness! Save a child! Eat a bullet!!

Posted by: On: 5/19/2008

Comment Title: Thank you, Bryan PD!
Thank you for the great work, Bryan PD! I am a member of Prestonwood Baptist Church and a volunteer in the student ministry (everyone who works with kids has to pass a criminal background check, by the way) ...prior to that, I was in the adult Sunday School class that Joe Barron taught. There was never ANY indication that Joe Barron was anything but a very GOOD and solid man. Having said that, I am so thankful for the good work that the Bryan PD has done in helping to keep our children safe. It is frightening to think that at some point, Joe Barron could have transferred into our student ministry to work with our kids. Pls see that he is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and serves the maximum sentence. And pls keep up the good work!

Posted by: big bills On: 5/19/2008

Comment Title: good job
Im not the biggest fan of the BPD, but i know a job well done when i see it. So good job guys!!! Things like this make me cringe, I guess church is no longer safe either!!

Posted by: On: 5/19/2008

Comment Title: Job Title
Hey folks, it doesn't matter what this guy does for a living. He is just another pedophile stopped in his tracks by good police work. That's all. Kudos to BPD. The real lesson here is that any person from any walk of life could pose a risk to your children. Going off on religious tangents only distracts from that important lesson.

Posted by: Wendy K. On: 5/18/2008

Comment Title: Come on...
I cant believe people actually blame religions for what these sick people do! For you idiot(s) out there that blame it on temptation...come on. I don't care what sexual predators say they know right from wrong! Why is it that everyone has to blame someone else instead of taking responsibilities for there own actions. Everyone on the face of this earth should thank god every day that there is someone out there that cares enough to spending there own time trying to protect all of us. I almost positive that if this were your loved one, you would call on our Men and Woman of law enforcement. Thanks a million Bryan PD!

Posted by: Justme On: 5/18/2008

Comment Title: Reply to:So hypicritical of BAPTISTS!
Before you judge the Baptist! Remember what the Catholic church got in trouble for? Priest having SEX WITH MINORS! So dont be down on the Baptist!

Posted by: Jv On: 5/18/2008

Comment Title: MY FAMILY
I am praying for Chris, and for your family. May he get the help he needs, God bless all of you!

Posted by: Jackie Davis On: 5/18/2008

Comment Title: Way to go BRYAN PD!
I'd bet that Prestonwood Church is a great place to call a church home. It's not the church's fault for what this individual has done. Joe Barron made his choice to come here and get busted by Bryan Police Department's finest. I actually feel bad for his church home and his family. I am not judging Mr. Barron, that's up to the man upstairs, but his actions are no doubt wrong and he will have to pay for the consequences. I am extremely proud of the Bryan Police Department. I know I can always count on the men and women of the department. To the "other side" comment, temptation... are you kidding me. Mr. Barron is a 52 year man, a minister, a counselor of married couples, a father, a husband and he wanted to have sexual relations with what he thought was a 13 year old girl. Temptation, ha! That's some serious temptation he's got to deal with. He can't be fixed from this, I just wonder how many other underaged girls he's been chatting with or even met, that police couldn't stop him from ruining a child's life. We must not forget that this could've very well been a 13 year old girl he was meeting. It's sad to say and it hurts my heart, but police can't catch them all. One last thing, if you're going to make a comment that is only YOUR opinion, don't be scared to put your name on it. No one can take your opinion away from you.

Posted by: On: 5/17/2008

Comment Title: MY FAMILY
just to let everybody know;;i am part of the kazmierski family and we have good morals and are christians. chris just needs a lot of help right now, he is sick in his mind.

Posted by: Doug On: 5/17/2008

Comment Title: More Christian Family Values At Their Best
The Republican Mayor, who is also the Pastor of the Temple Lot Church in Collins Missouri, a town in St. Clair County, is accused of trying to convince someone whom he thought was a teenage girl to meet him for sex. Diamond police say Allen D Kauffman is charged in Newton County with four counts of enticement of a child after an online investigation that began in mid-November. Diamond Police Detective Jim Murray says he posed as a 13-year-old girl named Cindy and was approached by a man who used the screen name duke dukeadk on Nov. 15 about noon in an online chat room. Murray says Kauffman discussed meeting her to take nude photos and to have sex. Over the course of seven conversations during the past two months, transcripts show each chat was sexually graphic. Murray say Kauffman recognized the girl’s age, and even showed some hesitation, teasing the girl about whether she could be a cop. Police say Kauffman repeatedly asked the girl to use a webcam, and didn't wait long to use his. The detective saved some photos from a webcam on Kauffman's computer in his home in Collins. http://www.republicansexoffenders.com

Posted by: Keljo On: 5/17/2008

Comment Title: Good People
Chris Kazmierski comes from a GOOD Family. They are the only victims at this point. Hopefully Chris can get the help he needs and his family can put this behind them.

Posted by: On: 5/17/2008

Comment Title: Can't Believe
This is in Response to "the other side":I can't believe you would post on here trying to defend this sicko. Get this through your head: PEDOPHILES CANNOT BE REHABILITATED...Okay??? You understand??? I know what "other side" you are coming from. Pretty hot there, huh??

Posted by: On: 5/17/2008

Comment Title:
I served as a minister on staff at Pretonwood and have seen many major problems through the years literally from the inside as well as the outside. Most of these incidents would have leveled many a church, however Pretonwood has stayed resilient through them all and continued to move forward in the cause of proclaiming the name above all names, Christ Jesus. The fact of the matter is that Prestonwood could be one of the greatest church phenomenas in the history of the modern day church as we know it. Of course they are going to always be under attack, however the fact remains that one incident or 1,000 incidents is not going to slow down God and how he moves!

Posted by: NeeCee1966 On: 5/17/2008

Comment Title: Little too late
Isn't it funny how when someone crosses the line it is THEN that they call on "God" for help. In a "normal" world when we are doing something WRONG we usually know in our hearts before hand that it is wrong. So call on GOD, family, friends and counselors before you screw up your life, your families life and the life of a child!!! So you are not looked at as a heartless selfish criminal (that you really are)but as an individual who is reaching out to God, friends, family for support. Yeah, I am going to agree with you on one statement..may GOD help your soul!!! Great work Bryan PD!!!

Posted by: On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: the other side
For all of you so quick to judge... I personally knew joe barron and he was the minister at my church many years before this happened. He was an awesome guy and great pastor! Every HUMAN put on this earth has temptations and downfalls, whether it be sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. He is a HUMAN who made a HUGE mistake. I am not condoning what he did in ANY way and he should do jail time, but goodness people have a heart! Judge not lest you should be judged right? Get the ill man the help he needs not a gun to his head. If yall only knew him and his amazing family you might be a little less likely to bash him. I just wish more people viewed this as the sickness that it is and not as a BAPTIST minister. It has nothing to do with that AT ALL! Get an education, then post a comment.

Posted by: CK On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Thank God they caught him
Thank goodness the Bryan PD did the undercover sting and caught him before he could do damage to an actual person. Congratuations Bryan PD; keep up the good work. Lucky for Prestonwood Baptist Church, too, to find out someone in their midst is that sick--so they can release him immediately.

Posted by: On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: So hypicritical of BAPTISTS!
You folks who love to preach and prance around saying how great the Baptists are...just look what kind of cheap criminals you have annointed as one of your Ministers!

Posted by: On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title:
Prestonwood does criminal background checks on everyone who works or volunteers under their roof - yearly I believe. Sin knows no limits. Prestonwood is a great church. You cannot judge the entire church based off of one sick individual. How sad for his family. What a blessing the truth came out. It proves we should never feel too safe no matter where we are. Do you really know the people you go to church/school/ work with? Always protect and watch your children. Lesson well learned.

Posted by: Michal On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Easy Lipppers
This guy was definately wrong and should be punished but for you bunch of racist hell raisers to be so quick to judge seems worse to me

Posted by: Rosemarie On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: The Law is the Law
...why are some of you whining about this monster being "judged" -- what, are we suppose to see him differently just because he is a Minister of one of the largest churches in Texas? The fact is he broke the law. Good job officers!

Posted by: Katherine On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Joe Barron needs to go to prison for 20 years
This child predator needs to be put away for at least 20 years. I just love the Police Department in Bryan, Texas. We are so Blesed to have such good hard working policeman protecting our children on the internet.

Posted by: Randy On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Bond Amount
I guess Judge McLeary does not care if child molesters are on the street. A $7,000 bond is idiotic. Precinct 1 voters should be proud.

Posted by: Me On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Hypocrisy
The prime indication that a christian has erred? The hypocritcal and deafening cries to not judge others so as to minimize the consequences. Will the members of that jury be committing a sin?

Posted by: Cathy On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: re: Matthew 7:1
Yes, that means the same judgement I use will be used against me. Since, I don't try to have sex with minors I am not concerned so yes I will judge. The Bible is my standard. Too bad it wasn't his...what a major embarrassment to Prestonwood!!

Posted by: On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Matthew 7:1
Judge not, that ye be not judged For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again

Posted by: On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Sad world we live in!!
Kristen Dist. Must be proud of their employee!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Cynthia On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Justice
Way to go Bryan PD! Thank you for making every young person's life safer!

Posted by: Cindy On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Way-To-Go
Thank God for Bryan PD...............

Posted by: On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Mercy
"Let he who is without sin...."

Posted by: "G" On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title:
GOOD JOB OFFICERS...SICK PEOPLE LIKE THAT NEED TO BE PUT IN JAIL AND KNOWN TO THE COMMUNITY FOR WHAT THEY ARE(LOW DOWN NASTY SCUMBAGS).GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT ELSE THEY R CAPABLE OF.IF THEY DO THAT TO YOUNG GIRLS OR BOYS,KNOWING THEY R THAT YOUNG WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY WOULD DO AFTER...

Posted by: DLB On: 5/16/2008

Comment Title: Perverts
These guys are lower than scum. There is a special place waiting for them.