Previous offender sentenced to 18 years for enticing 12-year-old for sex

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) -- A Franklin County man was sentenced to 18 years in prison for attempting to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex and for fleeing from police.

Joshua L. Brown, 40, was on parole from a child molestation conviction when he was charged with trying to entice a minor for sex. He pleaded guilty to both charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, said in a press release. He was sentenced to seven years in 2011 in the first case.

Charges alleged Brown used Instagram to contact the girl and talked about having sex with her. The girl’s family reported it to the police, who then took over the girl’s Instagram account posing as her. Brown offered to give marijuana and meth in exchange for sex.

Police attempted to pull Brown over in March 2020 when he went to meet with who he thought was the girl. Brown fled but was arrested months later in January 2021 after a standoff in Jefferson County.