The minister of a St. Joseph Baptist church has been charged in Clay County with Internet crimes, according to Kansas City and other broadcast reports.

Robert M. Black, 40, minister of the New Home Baptist Church at 10151 S.W. Bluff Road, was charged with attempted enticement of a child over the Internet and attempted statutory rape, according to Missouri Case.Net. Prosecutors said Mr. Black allegedly contacted a 13-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover officer, to exchange sexually explicit photographs and set up a time to meet.

Mr. Black, of Independence, Mo., allegedly used a fictitious name for the online conversations and tried to make contact with teen girls through social networking sites such as Facebook, authorities said.

A spokesman for the Clay County sheriff's department said Wednesday night that Mr. Black posted $100,000 bond and was released. The sheriff's department has scheduled a news conference for this morning.