AVON — A former Portland police officer has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after being found guilty of trying to meet a decoy posing as an underage girl.
A jury convicted Joshua Clark on a single count of child solicitation, a level 4 felony, while another count of child seduction was dismissed without prejudice, according to online court records.
He'll serve a total of 2,195 days at the Indiana Department of Corrections, or approximately six years and five days, according to Hendricks Superior Court.
Clark was convicted back in July on the allegation he arranged to engage in sexual conduct with a 14-year-old last year in Avon.
He was suspended in May and placed on suspension after the attempted meet-up. Days after the fact, he was arrested by Avon police.
The group behind the decoy is known as "Predator Catchers". The group posted an hour-long video of the encounter with Clark, in which he is heard calling himself an "idiot."
Portland Mayor John Boggs later said that Clark had resigned and that all his equipment had been collected.
In addition to prison time, Clark will have to register as a sex offender with IDOC.
Clark has 30 days after Sept. 14 to file an appeal, according to court records.
-
Grace Care Center filling summertime hunger gaps for families
Money can be tight in the summertime, especially for families who are just trying to put food on the table.
Pacers' Haliburton appears to aggravate lower leg injury in Game 5 of NBA Finals
Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton briefly left Game 5 of the NBA Finals for treatment after apparently aggravating an injury to his lower right leg, grabbing at it in obvious discomfort more than once.
A tale of two farms: Indiana's 2025 strawberry season
Strawberries are tiny berries, but a lot of hard work goes into producing them in Indiana. Hail can destroy berries quickly, and too much rain can destroy a crop.
Indiana School for the Deaf forced to cut 26 staff members
The Indiana Association of the Deaf states this budget crisis is forcing 26 staff members to be cut, including teachers, nurses and more.
