Ohio man convicted of attempted child sexual exploitation, Middle TN officials say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A 50-year-old Ohio man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, according to an announcement from Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Based on court documents, a user with the profile of “Barron read bio” – who was later identified as Barron M. Poole of Ripley, Ohio – contacted an online undercover employee (OCE) of the FBI about a dating app that is often used by minors and people who want to exploit it.

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the OCE used a profile of an 18-year-old woman, which contained a photo of a woman’s face with a status block above the photo that read, “Hi, I’m really 13.”

Over the course of a week, Poole sent a message to the OCE, who he reportedly believed was a 13-year-old girl. According to officials, he asked her to send him nude photos; sent her photos of naked women in poses he wanted the OCE to recreate; and sent her photos of his penis and stomach, which had distinctive tattoos.

When he was arrested at his home in Ohio, Poole admitted to using the dating app and that “Barron read biography” was his profile with his photo, the DOJ said.

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After serving his 15-year prison sentence, Poole will be released on supervised release for five years, officials announced on Friday, October 11.

The DOJ said the case was investigated by the FBI’s Nashville field office and the Clarksville-based bureau, with assistance from the FBI’s Cincinnati field office, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison.

No additional details have been released about this case, including how it was connected to Middle Tennessee.

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