A Wellsville man has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. 56-year-old Joseph Saunders pleaded guilty in March to the charges brought by Franklin County attorney Brandon Jones.
The Kansas internet crimes against children task force made contact with the Franklin County sheriff’s office after they had received a cyber-tip from the National Center for missing and exploited children in August 2018. The Franklin County sheriff’s office investigated the tip which leads to the criminal charges being filed. District court Judge Douglas Witteman ordered Saunders to serve a total of 118 months to be served in the Kansas Department of Corrections. Saunders was also ordered to register as a sex offender for his lifetime.
The Franklin County Attorney office thanked all agencies involved in the investigation for their excellent work on the case.
