A former Fayette County teacher was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Charleston after receiving exploitative images of a student on his cellphone.
Joshua Mark Taylor, 32, of Weirton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John Copenhaver to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin's office.
Taylor pleaded guilty in June to receiving child pornography, according to court records. He admitted that in November 2013, he exchanged numerous text messages with a 12-year-old female student at Collins Middle School, the release stated.
Taylor also admitted that from about November to January of 2014, he persuaded the student to take photographs of her genital area and send them to his cellphone.
Taylor admitted to distributing or attempting to distribute the exploitative images through interstate commerce. He also admitted to receiving an explicit image of the student through interstate commerce.
State Police began the investigation in January 2014 after the girl's father reported her missing.
Taylor picked the girl up at her family home and brought her back uninjured. She had been missing for nearly 22 hours.
Taylor was arrested the next day in St. Marys. Before the arrest, he sent the girl a text message urging her not to cooperate with the investigation.
Taylor will be required to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents and proceedings, Taylor was employed by the Fayette County Board of Education as a teacher at Collins Middle School from about March of 2013 to January of 2014.
Taylor also pleaded guilty in Fayette County Circuit Court to the felony offense of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in position of trust to a child. He faces a sentence of not less 10 years and up to 20 years when he is sentenced on Sept. 28.
Goodwin praised the West Virginia State Police, West Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Fayette County Sheriff's Department, and the FBI.
"Their cooperation brought yet another child predator to justice, and made all of our children safer," Goodwin said in the release.
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