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	Man Sentenced for Sex with Young Teens from Church Dance Ministry By Shar Porier The Herald August 7, 2007 http://www.svherald.com/articles/2007/08/07/news/doc46b80fd31099d746354243.txt Bisbee — A Bisbee man who accepted a plea bargain after being charged with child molestation of two teenage girls in his church dance troupe was sentenced Monday to 13 years and two days in prison by Superior Court Judge Wallace R. Hoggatt. Joshua Noble, 28, admitted guilt to two charges in a plea agreement — molestation of a child under the age of 15 and sexual misconduct with a minor child under the age of 18. On the child molestation charge, Hoggatt sentenced Noble to 13 years minus the 271 days he has already spent in jail. On the sexual misconduct charge, Noble was sentenced to 273 days minus the 271 days spent in jail. When he is released from prison, Noble will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Hoggatt noted. The judge mitigated what could have been a sentence of 19 years because of the support Noble has received from 33 people from family members, friends and even a fellow inmate. Noble reportedly prevented a suicide attempt by the inmate who is serving 30 years. However, Hoggatt also considered the effect of Noble's actions on the two young women and their futures. "What you did to two families has to be considered. Saying 'I'm sorry' is not a magic incantation that changes the past. Change happens through hard work. People forgiving others is hard work. People moving beyond being victims is hard work. To expect teenagers to look beyond having been victimized is expecting the impossible. Some can move on past feeling victimized and I hope these two young ladies are able to do that. But, I don't know that they will be able to do that in the time you are in incarcerated," said Hoggatt. When given the opportunity to speak before the sentencing, the father of one of Noble's victims said, "Josh, your actions have been a source of great suffering. We are trying to manage the sorrow and regret. We all trusted you with our girls ... At age 14 you manipulated her. We thought your dance ministry would bring her closer to God ... "We chose to forgive you ... I make no recommendation of your sentence today. I leave that in the hands of God." The mother of the second victim said, "I hope God heals my daughter and the other families. This was an accomplished crime that happened many times. This was your choice, and you stole something from her that can never be replaced. Now you will reap what you have sown." Noble was arrested Nov. 9, 2006, on 34 separate counts of sexual crimes after his confession to Sierra Vista Police two days earlier. A pastor of Shiloh Christian Ministries, James Hoston, accompanied Noble to the police station after confronting him with the allegations made by one of the parents. Noble was indicted by a Cochise County grand jury on Nov. 17, 2006, on five counts of molestation of a child, one count of continuous child abuse, and 28 counts of sexual conduct with a minor. It was during the plea bargaining that all but two of the charges were dropped. At the church in Sierra Vista, Noble trained a dance class with young girls and called it a dance ministry. That was how he met the two girls and became close to them. Noble gave a vivid account in the pre-sentencing report and admitted to sexual touching and sexual intercourse with both of the girls, a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, over a period of about one year. He claimed it was consensual sex. He later took responsibility for his actions and told investigators while he was incarcerated, "I had sexual relations with two minors. In regards to why? Because I wasn't thinking. I let my lust at the time make my decision when the opportunity presented itself to me ... I know I did very wrong. I pray this has no lasting psychological impact on the girls. I apologize to each of these girls and to the parents." Investigators note in the report that Noble claimed this was his first sexual experience with minors and that he has never been fixated or aroused by adolescent females. He also admitted he was having sexual relations with the girls while he was dating the woman who would be his future wife. His wife supports him, even though he has admitted his guilt, he said. One of the girls' mothers, states the pre-sentencing report, said she believes her daughter "was hung out to dry" as Noble did not admit to all the things he did, making it appear that her daughter was the aggressor and wrongdoer within the church family and peer group. Because of that perception of those around her, the mother claims her daughter developed an apathetic attitude because she does not feel supported or believed. While the mother understands that Noble did not threaten or coerce her daughter, she believes Noble used manipulative tactics to perpetrate the crimes. Her main concern was that Noble accept responsibility for his actions so that blame cannot be placed on the victim "because that is too great a burden for a child to bear." In the same report, the mother of the second child also blamed Noble solely for the events that changed her daughter's life. She believes Noble purposely manipulated her daughter for his personal gratification. She also described the humiliation her daughter went through with tests to check for any sexually transmitted diseases since he did not wear protection. The crimes impacted her daughter's faith as well, as the made the young girl question why God would let this happen to her. Herald/Review reporter Shar Porier can be reached at 515-4692 or by e-mail at shar.porier@bisbeereview.net.
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