Ventura pastor caught in sting, tried to target minor for sex, officials say

A Ventura County minister and former teacher was charged Wednesday with multiple felonies related to communicating with a minor in order to have sex.

Barry Fike, a pastor at Fillmore Church of Christ, allegedly thought he was messaging with a 15-year-old girl and even sent this person “explicit photos of himself,� the Ventura County district attorney’s office said in a news release.

The suspect, Fike, was actually communicating with an undercover police officer, the D.A.’s office said. The district attorney’s office didn’t provide specifics but said “the conversations were sexual in nature� and the “chatroom Fike was allegedly communicating in did not have any safety features in place to verify a person’s age or to monitor the communication.�

Fike was arrested Monday.

“There are many chatrooms online that are not moderated or do not take any steps to limit adult contact with minors,� Terrance Dobrosky, the supervising district attorney investigator, wrote in a news release. “All too often, this exposes children to potential exploitation as predators take advantage of the limited oversight.�

Fike has been charged with four felony counts of sending material to seduce a minor, one felony count of contacting a minor with intent to commit sexual offense and one misdemeanor count of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purpose. The 67-year-old pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was being held in custody with bail set at $150,000, according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

A public defender who represented him in court didn’t respond to a request for comment. Fike is due back in court July 27.

The Fillmore resident previously taught at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village for nearly 11 years until 2014, according to his LinkedIn page. Cozette Darby, senior administrative officer at Oaks Christian High School, said Fike taught high school English but hasn’t worked at the institution since 2014.

“Many years have passed since Mr. Fike was employed by our school,� Darby wrote in an email.

Fike also taught at Pepperdine University but “is not currently an instructor at the university,� according to the Ventura County district attorney’s office.

Pepperdine University spokesperson Michael Friel told The Times that Fike last taught at the school in December 2021 and described him as “a former visiting assistant professor.�

“We take these allegations very seriously, and will fully cooperate as needed with the investigation,� Friel said in an email. “The safety of our students is our paramount concern.�