A Texas man has pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping and the sexual exploitation of a minor, following his arrest for attempting to take a 15-year-old he met via an online game to Florida. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Harrison Michael Barton, a 38-year-old from North Detroit, Texas, entered his plea agreement in U.S. District Court, suggesting a recommended prison sentence of 25 to 30 years. Barton was initially arrested in February 2025 at the John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
In an egregious misuse of technology meant to connect gamers, Barton used the Call of Duty mobile game to initially contact the minor. They communicated for approximately one month before Barton decided to take a Greyhound bus from Texas to Ohio. This is not Barton's first altercation with the law; he had been previously sentenced to 10 years in prison for online solicitation of a minor. Additionally, at the time of the latest incident, he was already wanted on an outstanding parole warrant out of Texas.
The authorities informed that after being picked up by the teenager in Newcomerstown, Ohio, Barton admittedly engaged in unlawful sexual activities with the minor before trying to travel with them to Florida. His plans were thwarted when he was arrested before departing from the airport. The case, as per law enforcement officials, is part of a larger national effort known as Project Safe Childhood, aimed at combating the increasing occurrences of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
With a union of efforts from federal, state, and local agencies, Project Safe Childhood was launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 and has since been a shield against such predators. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
