JACKSON, Tenn. (WTVF) — A former employee with the Tennessee Department of Children's Services was arrested in Madison County this week for an alleged attempt to meet with an underage girl for sex after leaving a note on her vehicle.
Christopher Baker, 50, is charged with solicitation of a minor after he was arrested during an undercover operation spearheaded by the Jackson Police Department, according to a statement shared by the Bolivar Police Department, which assisted Jackson police investigators in this arrest.
A juvenile female reportedly found a "strange note" on her vehicle at a local business in Bolivar on March 2, which led to the child and her parents filing a report with the police department. The Bolivar Police Department began its investigation after this report.
Bolivar police contacted the Jackson Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce for assistance in the case.
On March 7, Baker met with a person he thought was an underage girl "with the intention of having sex with her at an undisclosed location in Jackson, Tennessee" before he was arrested by Jackson police investigators, Bolivar police said. Baker was identified as an employee of DCS in the Bolivar Police Department's statement.
DCS says Baker will no longer serve as an employee with the department after an internal investigation "found gross misconduct." Baker will not be eligible for state retirement but will be able to appeal his termination. DCS says Baker served as an Administrative Team Leader with the Office of Child Safety.
No additional details will be released in the case while the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this case or any case involving child exploitation should call Sgt. Aubrey Richardson with the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at 731-467-6385.
