HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Hardin County man has been charged with child sexual exploitation offenses, according to Kentucky State Police.
KSP says that on Tuesday morning, their Electronic Crime Branch arrested 51-year-old Christopher Barnes as a result of an undercover Internet Crimes Against Children investigation.
According to KSP, the Santa Claus Police Department in Indiana began the investigation after they discovered Barnes was procuring a minor online.
KSP states that he was identified by SCPD as a Kentucky resident and that the investigation was transferred to the KSP Electronic Crime Branch.
The investigation, according to KSP, resulted in a search warrant at a home in Glendale, where equipment used to facilitate the crime was seized and taken to KSP's forensic laboratory for examination.
According to KSP, Barnes is charged with fugitive from another state, three counts of procuring or promoting the use of a minor by electronic means, and three counts of first-degree indecent exposure.
He is booked in the Hardin County Detention Center, and the investigation remains ongoing.
