A former Bath County deputy has been sentenced to 25 years (300 months) in federal prison after pleading guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit behavior for the purpose of producing child pornography.
Joshua Preece, 40, of Morehead, was sentenced on Monday.
The juvenile later told police that Preece stopped his police cruiser at a barn in a rural area where he sexually assaulted the victim. He then asked for the girl’s contact information and persuaded her to send him sexually explicit images later that night via Snapchat.
The victim told her mother about the abuse the next day, and the mother contacted authorities.
Kentucky State Police Det. Aaron Gabhart said that investigators found numerous messages on Preece’s cellphone (dating back to November 2017) to and from people who said they were between 13- and 17-years-old, according to court records.
Preece continued trading messages with them even after hearing they were teenagers, and the conversations turned “sexual and coercive,” according to prosecutors. He pretended to be a teenage boy or girl to compel the juveniles to send him explicit photos.
He must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence.
Preece spent 10 years in law enforcement with the Bath County Sheriff’s Office and Kentucky State Police.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
