CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — A 40‑year‑old man was arrested on January 6, after police say he arrived in Chillicothe to meet a 14‑year‑old girl and bring crack cocaine to her as part of an undercover operation targeting sexual offenders.
Brett Christopher Barnhart, 40, was taken into custody around noon on Jan. 6 following a coordinated traffic stop on Orange Street near Piatt Avenue, according to a Chillicothe Police Department report. The arrest occurred after investigators with CPD, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force said Barnhart arranged online to meet a juvenile and “party” with her.
According to the report, a BCI agent posing as a 14‑year‑old communicated with Barnhart through a TextNow number. Barnhart allegedly agreed to meet the teen at the Subway restaurant at 774 N. High Street and said he would bring “hard-boiled eggs,” a phrase detectives noted is commonly used as slang for crack cocaine.
Detectives conducting surveillance saw Barnhart driving a green Toyota Tacoma with Ohio registration “BREWTUS” circling the area before parking at a nearby BP station. When he requested the teen walk toward Orange Street, officers moved in and initiated a traffic stop.
A K‑9 unit alerted to narcotics inside the truck, and officers located two Samsung phones, more than $1,500 in cash, and a cigarette pack hidden beneath the cup holder containing several pieces of suspected crack cocaine, along with a glass pipe, according to the report. Barnhart admitted the substance was crack, police wrote.
He was arrested on charges of corrupting another with drugs — furnishing or administering to a juvenile, and possession of cocaine. His vehicle and phones were seized, and search warrants were later approved for further examination.
Barnhart was transported to the Ross County Jail, where he remains in custody.