BREAKING NEWS: Lawrence County Man Arrested on Statutory Rape Charges Following Cybertip 🚨
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Tenn. — A Lawrence County man is behind bars without bond after a cybertip led state and federal authorities to uncover disturbing allegations of sexual abuse against a minor.
On May 30, special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip included a report from a woman who revealed she had been sexually exploited and abused as a minor.
Through the course of the investigation, agents identified Juan Carlos Barturen (DOB 10/16/1978) as the suspect. Authorities say Barturen raped and sexually exploited the victim on multiple occasions when she was underage.
One day later, on May 31, TBI ICAC agents—working in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations and the Nashville International Airport Police—took Barturen into custody at Nashville International Airport.
He now faces the following charges:
Two counts of Statutory Rape by an Authority Figure
One count of Soliciting Sexual Exploitation of a Minor/Exploitation of a Minor by Electronic Means
One count of Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
Barturen is being held in the Lawrence County Jail without bond.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials believe there could be additional victims. Barturen is known to have traveled between Tennessee and Florida. Anyone with information is urged to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND or email [email protected].
