A local and nationwide investigation led to the arrest of a Florida man who is a suspected child predator, the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office said.Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi said Timothy Barnes, 31, of Fort Myers, Florida, was arrested Monday and booked into the Iberville Parish Jail on 27 counts of production of child sexual material under 13 and a count each of computer-aided solicitation of a minor and indecent behavior with juveniles. Barnes was arrested in Florida on Sept. 29 before being extradited to Louisiana.
“Today we’re putting a name and a face on the boogie man our parents warned us about,” Stassi said.Stassi said the investigation began after a parent noticed something suspicious with their child’s internet activity and contacted authorities. Officials said the victim — a 12-year-old Iberville Parish girl — was coerced into creating and producing sexual content online by Barnes. At the time of the crimes, Barnes was three states away.
“The images were taken to the darkest place of your mind,” 18th Judicial District Attorney Tony Clayton said. “It’s a disgusting display of what he did to our children. Whatever you can imagine, that’s what he did and even worse.”
Clayton said this is one of the worst cases that he has seen in his about 35 years of experience. Stassi said the penalty on each count is 25 years to life in prison, and they are aiming for him to spend the rest of his life in prison.
The investigation took about two months to get everything together before the Monday arrest, Stassi said. The Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police and the FBI are all involved in the continuing investigation.“Parents’ involvement must go beyond setting limits on screen time,” Stassi said. “Know where your children are, what communication devices they are using and what they are sharing.”
Stassi said the investigation is ongoing, and he expects more arrests from across the country.
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