MARTINEZ, GA. (WJBF) – A Columbia County man, who also serves in the U.S. Army, has been sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison after uploading sexually explicit images of children to the internet.
41-year-old Joshua Paul Barnhill of Martinez was sentenced to 12.5 years in after previously pleading guilty to Distribution of Child Pornography. Barnhill also has to pay restitution of $21,000, register as a sex offender, and to serve 15 years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children sent a CyberTip to the GBI to notify investigators about sexually explicit images and videos of children shared by the KIK internet messaging app.
Agents learned the images originated from Barnhill’s location, and found hundreds of images and videos on devices he used to upload images.
Barnhill is a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, serving as a recruiter operating from Fort Jackson, S.C.
