NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A North Fort Myers man is sentenced to 30 years in prison for child sex crimes.
The State Attorney's Office said Tuesday that Baron Keith Barber was convicted on two counts of unlawful sexual activity, lewd or lascivious battery, delivery of a controlled substance to a minor, promoting a sexual performance by a child, two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and two counts of failure to register as a sex offender.
Assistant State Attorney Francine Donnorummo, Special Victims Unit Chief, and Assistant State Attorney Kathryn Lavelle prosecuted the case.
Parents discover inappropriate contact
The case began in late 2023 when the victim's parents found something was wrong after answering their daughter's phone, according to the state. They claimed a man was calling via FaceTime, asking for the child.
When the parents asked who he was and why he was calling their daughter, he quickly moved his face away from the camera and claimed he was a friend. The parents then blocked him from calling the phone.
The parents later went through the phone and discovered messages that led them to believe their daughter was in a sexual relationship with the man, according to the State Attorney's Office. It said they identified him by locating his Instagram account and seeing it was the same man who called their child's phone. They then contacted law enforcement.
Investigation reveals pattern of abuse
The Lee County Sheriff's Office investigated the case. The child victim told authorities she met Barber at a store in Fort Myers, where he began talking to her and gave her money, according to LCSO. They exchanged phone numbers, and Barber began contacting the child victim via Instagram, deputies reported.
Barber then began meeting the victim for sex, giving the child drugs, usually with "Molly," according to deputy reports.
The victim identified Barber from a lineup and he was arrested. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office also helped in the investigation as the child victim was interviewed in that county.
