Meet Joe Barron who is a minister at a Plano, Texas megachurch and has been charged in connection with an internet sex sting. Read more about it and see photos and a video below.
Joe Barron is a minister at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. I should have written that in past tense cause I suspect he’s no longer employed. He was taken into custody today and charged with online solicitation of a minor. Barron got caught in a internet sex sting set up to catch internet predators. He allegedly had sexually explicit online conversations with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Its being reported that he asked the girl to meet him and then made a three-hour drive to meet her. Instead, he was met by undercover police officers. Don’t you just hate when that happens!
Police found condoms, a webcam and headset in Barron’s car. They have searched his home and taken custody of his computers and removable discs. His church has made his files and computers at the church available to the police and issued a statement.
“We are disturbed and saddened by the reports we have heard and we are praying for the Barron family. We are fully cooperating with the police in their investigation,” said Mike Buster, Prestonwood’s executive pastor.
Update 8:45pm ET: Barron remains in Brazos County Jail on a $7,000 bond.
Joe Barron Biography
Joe Barron is a 52-year-old minister at the Plano, Texas megachurch, Prestonwood Baptist Church. The church has 26,000 members and 40 ministers. Barron is not the senior pastor, but has been a marriage counselor and lead mission trips to Bogota, Columbia on behalf of the church.
Interestingly, the church has already virtually irradiated him their website. Obviously, they have good reason to cleanse the website of this guys image and name.
More biological information will be posted as it becomes available.
Joe Barron – Video
May 16th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
great on the cops and this sting!
May 17th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Drive two hundred miles to buy the girls a pop? With condoms and a webcam? hummmm. It’ men like Barron who give the church and Pastors a bad name. Many are leaving the church because of men like this one.
I will also be praying for the family. As for Barron? well I will reserve comment.
May 17th, 2008 at 6:41 am
I am a resident of Bryan Texas and BPD have been doing this for a while, they got two guys that night. This is a comfort. GOOD JOB BPD!
May 17th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Interesting that everyone is leaving info like Hypocrites, perverts, spiritual leaders… If people truly understood the gospel, they would never expect anyone that claims to be a Christian to be anything but a Hypocrite! Are you nuts?
Of course a Christian is a Hypocrite and a liar and a thief, a pervert, murderer, etc… and a But a Real Christian knows it… ie the Prostitute, thief on the cross ! THAT’S THE GOSPEL! That ALL HAVE BROKEN EVERY COMMAND OF GOD! That’s why they need a savior. You people have just confused Religion with Jesus Christ, who is God of the Universe. It’s the Religious people that never could get it… apparently most here don’t either. Which makes you all the same… which IS THE POINT! The secular, lost, and on their way to hell find all this comforting because it gives them one more excuse, as if they needed one. If a person goes/attends a “church” (there is really only one, if they are followers of Jesus Christ, who is God) where the people attending look and act “good”… you are in a place far closer to Hell than Heaven. In society’s eye’s Jesus hung with the Sinners… NOT THE GOOD FOLK!! Truly they were broken and honest about it. It is repulsive that places like Prestonwood are so Lost and still don’t get it 2k yrs later. Still pullin the same Crap that the Pharisees did… “Playing” churchy church/religon. Until and unless the “church” starts showing up Eagerly willing to dump all their Filthy Garbage for all to see and being REAL… They will continue to have zero real impact on community. Prestonwood is the place to go…NOT Belong… Horrible place to try to find/follow Jesus. NO ONE WILL EVER BE REAL THERE. They are so lost.
June 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I knew Joe. It saddens me greatly to see this happen. I feel that as the Bible says, “We have all sinned” and need to mourn when a brother in Christ sins and “falls short of the glory of God.” Instead of blogging about one man’s inability to be perfect, I look inside at my own sin and where I fall short and thank God that I am not exposed as the sinner I am.
Please pray that we (and Joe), see Christ for who he truly is and worship Him for His perfection, forgiveness and redemption of sin.
August 9th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
what actual crime was committed since he was in reality chatting with a police officer online and not a teenage girl. yes, he thought it was a teenage girl but that’s the key, thought. Just curious.