BOLIVAR, Tenn. (WREG) — An employee of the State of Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has been fired for gross misconduct and charged with solicitation of a minor.
Christopher Baker, 50, served as an Administrative Team Leader with the Office of Child Safety, DCS said. He was taken into custody Tuesday after an undercover operation.
According to the City of Bolivar, on March 2, a 16-year-old girl found a strange note on her car at a local business. The juvenile and her parents reported the incident to the Bolivar Police Department, which began an investigation with the assistance of Jackson Police.
Tuesday, Bolivar authorities said Baker met someone who he thought was an underage girl during an undercover operation. Authorities said he had the intention of having sex with her at an undisclosed location in Jackson.
Sergeant Aubrey Richardson, who works with the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at the Jackson Police Department, said Bolivar Police asked the Task Force to help in the investigation and the note’s connection to Chris Baker.
“The Bolivar Police Department knew very early on his identity and they shared that with me,” Richardson said.
Richardson would not disclose the contents of the note, but investigators using a “decoy” made contact with Baker and arraigned a meeting
“The suspect showed up in Jackson to a local park expecting to have sex with a underage female,” Richardson said.
Baker is out on bond and appeared in court Thursday. His next court date is unknown at this time.
WREG attempted to talk to Baker as he left the courtroom, but he had no intention of talking to us about the charges.
According to DCS, Baker will no longer serve as an employee with the company following an internal investigation that found gross misconduct. He is also ineligible for state retirement.
DCS said Baker will have the right to appeal his termination.
