TEXAS
The Dallas Morning News
By KEVIN KRAUSE Staff Writer kkrause@dallasnews.com
Published: 12 February 2014
A former Garland youth pastor who exchanged sexually explicit text messages and photos with an underage girl from his church was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in federal prison.
Joshua Earls, 30, and the 16-year-old girl had sent each other text messages with photos of each other’s genitalia. Earls met the victim through Arapaho Road Baptist Church in Garland.
Earls pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography in October and had faced up to 20 years in prison. He also faces a lifetime of probation when he is released.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn listened to hours of sentencing testimony Wednesday from Earls and his family, as well as the victim and her mother. Families from the church packed the courtroom.
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