Man charged with seeking sex from minors

Barney Keester Pauze, 62, of 136 Meadowsweet Drive, was charged with two counts of participating in the prostitution of a minor and one count each of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, attempting statutory sex offense and indecent liberties with a minor. Those charges stem from separate incidents involving a 17-year-old boy and an agent posing as a 13-year-old boy.

He was being held Monday morning in the Cumberland County Detention Center under a $75,000 bond while awaiting his first court appearance.

Also on Monday, investigators began examining evidence seized from Pauze's home, including hundreds of pornographic tapes and dozens of homemade sexually explicit videos and photographs. They said more charges might be filed in the case.

Pauze was arrested Friday evening after authorities said he agreed to meet someone he thought was a 13-year-old boy. Investigators said he agreed through an agent to pay a 13-year-old for participating in a variety of sexual acts.

In December 1987, Pauze was convicted on multiple charges of taking indecent liberties with a minor in Robeson County, according to state Department of Correction records. One offense occurred in February 1986. He served four years in prison.