Custodial worker for Flemington-Raritan schools charged with child exploitation in Hunterdon County
RARITAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Hunterdon County) — A Raritan Township man has been arrested on child exploitation charges following a joint investigation by local and county authorities, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson announced Thursday.
Authorities said the investigation began when a minor in Pennsylvania reported to the York County Regional Police that she had sent intimate images of herself to a Snapchat user. Investigators traced the account to Raritan Township, where the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crimes Unit linked it to 34-year-old Carlos E. Barraza.
A review of the account uncovered 16 images and videos of child sexual abuse material, authorities said. Barraza, a contracted custodial employee with the Flemington-Raritan School District, was arrested Sept. 4 without incident.
He was charged with third-degree possession of child sexual abuse material and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Barraza is being held at the Warren County Jail pending his first court appearance.
Third-degree crimes in New Jersey carry penalties of three to five years in prison and fines up to $15,000. Prosecutors emphasized that charges are accusations and that Barraza is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation was conducted by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and the Raritan Township Police Department. Senior Assistant Prosecutor Laura L. Nazzaro is representing the state.
