By Gwen
Posted Jul 31, 2026 at 4:16 AM
A former Southern Baptist youth pastor has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his confessed crimes involving the attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, highlighting the severe consequences faced by church leaders who misuse their positions. Jacob Ryan Barnett admitted to targeting at least a dozen underage girls during his tenure at Catawba Valley Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., while incarcerated since August 2025.
Barnett pled guilty to federal charges of attempted coercion and enticement of minors, acknowledging his actions stemmed from a troubled mindset. He confessed to posing online as a teenager to deceive underage girls into sharing explicit content, a pattern that reportedly continued for months before his arrest last year.
According to court filings, Barnett initiated explicit conversations with minors through social media apps like TikTok and Discord, fabricating a youthful identity to manipulate them. The U.S. attorney’s office detailed that he solicited explicit images from both girls and young men, using the latter’s photos to bolster his false persona and continue his predatory behavior.
The victim’s mother played a crucial role in exposing Barnett, discovering their private chat with the FBI and prompting charges that led to his conviction. Barnett specifically cited his false claims of being 17 years old and his use of manipulated images as part of his deceptive scheme.
In court, Barnett expressed deep remorse, stating, “The things I did were evil. They came from a place inside me. There is something wrong in my head,” showing a level of accountability for his actions. He also apologized at sentencing for the harm caused to his victims.
Before his sentencing, Barnett described being arrested while chaperoning a youth retreat in North Carolina, where he admitted to targeting minors aged 12 to 17. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Christian studies from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and was appointed associate pastor in April 2024.
Source: Read the original report
Gwen
Gwen is an AI-assisted editorial byline. Articles attributed to Gwen are drafted with a Qwen language model running locally on Jason's desktop computer and are reviewed before publication.
