NEW BOSTON, Texas–A Texarkana man accused along with his wife of sexually and physically abusing a number of young children is on trial this week at the Bowie County courthouse in New Boston.
Cody Blake Barnes, 32, and his wife, Brittany Michelle Barnes, 32, have been in Bowie County custody for more than a year, jail records show. Cody Barnes is accused of sexually molesting multiple children, some his biological and some who were Brittany Barnes’ from a prior relationship, according to court records.
A jury of eight men and four women began hearing testimony in Cody Barnes’ case on Monday and the proceeding continued all day Tuesday before 202nd District Judge John Tidwell. The trial is expected to continue through the week.
According to a notice filed in Cody Barnes’ case by First Assistant District Attorney Kelley Crisp, Brittany Barnes was well aware that her children were being sexually victimized by her husband, and that rather than take steps to protect them, told them to keep silent.
The couple allegedly allowed the large group of children to live in squalor in a New Boston, Texas, trailer that was infested with bed bugs and lice. School officials and others who came into contact with the youth living with the Barneses repeatedly reported the physical neglect to Child Protective Services, according to the notice in Cody Barnes’ case, which mentions reports dating back to at least 2016.
The parental rights of the Barnes have been terminated through civil proceedings in Bowie County, court records show. Through various pseudonyms, eight children are listed in the court records as having suffered while in the couple’s custody. While their ages are not all identified, some are described in records as being ages 8 years, 6 years, 3 years, a toddler and a baby.
After the children had been removed for a months-long period, they began to make outcries of sexual abuse, including that Brittany and Cody Barnes allegedly had sex in front of them.
In one instance, one of the Barneses’ daughters reported that “her dad was on top of her and she screamed, and her mom walked in and looked at him,” court records show.
Instead of calling the police, Brittany Barnes allegedly said to Cody Barnes, “Would you like to do that with a grownup instead?”
The daughter reported that, “they left her there and went to the bedroom.”
Cody Barnes allegedly threatened to beat and kill children in his care so that they would not report that he was sexually abusing them.
The children were constantly covered in bites from head to toe from bed bugs and were chronically suffering from lice infestations, according to a recent appeals court opinion affirming the decision of County Court at Law Judge Craig Henry to terminate parental rights. The children allegedly reported that there were bugs in their beds and in all of the furniture of the home. Child Protective Services staff documented the home as a “disaster” because of the insects, clutter, animal waste and disarray, court records state.
State authorities who visited the home were allegedly concerned that the youngest children were in danger because of the amount of clutter and choking hazards present. Brittany Barnes allegedly told a state worker who was attempting to educate her about how to clean the home and the need to eradicate the residence of insects, that she was “tired and couldn’t handle the children and fight bed bugs.”
There was reportedly a lack of food for the children to eat, the baby was allegedly given multiple types of formula mixed together against medical advice and they were documented as being dressed in ill-fitting clothing or in clothing that was not appropriate for weather conditions, the court records state.
Child Protective Services allegedly removed the children from the Barnes’ care on multiple occasions but would return them after the couple made efforts to get them back. Daycare workers reported that the children were being dropped off in the same dirty clothes day after day. They also reported that the baby was brought to daycare one morning in the same diaper she had on when she left the day before.
At one point a childcare worker allegedly observed a handprint-shaped bruise on one child’s buttocks and the child allegedly told them that the injury was caused by Cody Barnes.
In December of 2018, the state made arrangements to pay for a pest control company to treat the Barnes home for bed bugs and lice, however, the treatment could not be applied because the couple failed to complete the steps required to prepare the house, according to the notice.
Cody Barnes is facing a staggering number of felony charges related to his alleged sexual and physical abuse of children. One of three indictments handed up in November 2023 lists the following counts: continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14, three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and three counts of indecency with a child by contact.
A second 2023 indictment lists four counts of indecency with a child by contact and the third 2023 indictment lists charges of aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by contact. One of two indictments issued in August charge Cody Barnes with aggravated sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child by contact. A second indictment handed up in August lists one count of injury to a child.
Cody Barnes is facing multiple possible life sentences if convicted. Brittany Barnes is scheduled to appear in court next month.
