Jacob Ryan Barnett

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

A former youth pastor in Virginia who "prowled" social media sites trolling for vulnerable underage victims will spend years behind bars, federal authorities announced.

Catawba resident Jacob Ryan Barnett, 34, pleaded guilty this week to his attempted coercion and enticement of a 15-year-old girl he sparked a "relationship" with on TikTok, officials say.

On Sunday, May 18, prosecutors say that Barnett used the social media app to message "M.V.," and they began chatting. The two then started exchanging texts that got increasingly inappropriate. 

According to court documents, to keep the teen engaged, he claimed to be 17 and later sent the girl images of a younger man, claiming that it was him.

"As their chat progressed, Barnett sent increasingly graphic sexual messages to M.V." and began repeatedly asking her for photos.

Two days after their initial meeting, Barnett "told M.V. that he was starting to develop feelings for her." 

He also said he wanted to 'use' M.V. and asked her to tell him about the last time she masturbated or to send him something that he could use to masturbate," which she did.

Evidence at Barnett’s detention hearing earlier this year showed that he continually prowled TikTok, Discord, Snapchat, and other social media apps to solicit minor girls for sexual chats and images. 

Barnett also solicited young men for selfies and images of their genitals, which he then used to pose as a teenage boy when targeting girls.