Harnett County man sentenced to 50 years for child sex crimes

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Dunn man was sentenced on Tuesday to 600 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of distribution of child pornography.

Joshuah Taylor Bradshaw, 33, faces 25 years of supervised release following a release from prison.

The investigation began after his roommate discovered what the United States attorney called a series of disturbing photos and videos associated with his email account.

The Hoke County Sheriff's Office began looking into the matter and executed a search warrant on Bradshaw's electronic devices where they found evidence that he had abused a minor as well as 150 videos and 200 images of child pornography.

He was arrested in August 2020.

In June 2021, the sheriff's office contacted the FBI, which began a review of forensic files. That probe revealed more than 600 images and 500 videos of sexually explicit content including minors. The files also showed instances of Bradshaw abusing a minor that he then distributed to other individuals, court records showed.

In addition to prison time, Bradshaw was ordered to pay restitution to victims totaling $27,500 and special assessments totaling $5,200. He pleaded guilty on June 20.

Bradshaw was sentenced in Greensboro by U.S. District Court Judge Catherine C. Eagles.

NOTE: Video is from a previous report.