BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A man in Bloomington pleaded guilty Tuesday to sexual exploitation of a child.
Joshua Ray Vestal, 40, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
On Sept. 5, 2022, Vestal forced a child to engage is sexually explicit conduct with him and filmed it with his phone, according to court documents.
At the time of the recording, the victim was between the ages of 12 and 16 years old.
Four days after the video was filmed, a witness discovered the video and images on the suspect's phone and identified both of the individuals in them. The witness sent the videos and images to their own phone to use it for evidence and then confronted Vestal.
When the witness confronted Vestal, he took their phone and threw it in a toilet and then performed a factory reset on his own phone to erase the digital evidence. However, the evidence was synced to the witness's electronic account. They then passed it over to the Bloomington Police Department, who arrested Vestal the following day.
“Everyone deserves a childhood free from sexual abuse, and it is up to us as adults to do all we can to protect children,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.
The judge determined that Vestal needs to be supervised for life following his release and pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim. He is also required to register as a sex offender where he lives, works or attends school for the rest of his life.
