Truck driver attempted to meet 15-year-old girl in Hartford [Video]

HARTFORD, Conn. — When a cross-country truck driver allegedly attempted to meet a 15-year-old girl at Hartford service station on April 6, he encountered law enforcement instead, police said.

Russel Barney, 55, of Safford, Ariz. faces charges including criminal attempt/illegal sexual contact with a minor under 16, criminal attempt/sexual assault in the second degree, illegal possession of child pornography in the first degree, and promoting a minor for obscene performance.

In collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Hartford Police Special Investigations Division conducted an operation targeting child exploitation that ultimately resulted in Barney’s arrest.

“Undercover law enforcement personnel assumed the identity of a 15-year-old girl’s uncle on the internet and engaged in dialogue with the subject, Russel Barney,” police said. “Throughout the online discussions, Barney shared explicit pornographic images with the detective and consented …