Hallsville man jailed on child pornography and child sexual assault charges

HALLSVILLE, Texas (KLTV) – Harrison County Sheriff Brandon Fletcher said a tip from Child Protective Services led to an investigation into possible child abuse by a county resident.

Kevin Forrest Barnett, 43, of Hallsville, was arrested Oct. 7 following an investigation into the allegations.

Fletcher said Texas CPS contacted the sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) because they were concerned that an underage victim had been inappropriately photographed. Shortly thereafter, Terrell police alerted CID to a cyber tip from the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce indicating the possible exploitation of a child in Harrison County.

The cyber tip was investigated and Barnett was identified as the suspect in possession of several child pornography videos. They obtained an arrest warrant and he was arrested three hours later.

As the investigation continued, a search warrant was issued for Barnett’s home and law enforcement found evidence supporting allegations of aggravated sexual assault of a child and an arrest warrant was issued for that as well, Fletcher said.

Barnett was booked into the Harrison County Jail on charges of possession of more than 50 images or videos of child pornography. He was also charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. His bail totals $400,000 and he remains in the Harrison County Jail.

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