Published: June 25, 2007 12:33 pm      

Former minister gets four year prison term

By Jim Goodson

editor@jacksonvilleprogress.com

TYLER – A former Jacksonville minister was sentenced to four years in prison June 21 after pleading guilty to the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Joshua Allen, 23, possessed more than 600 images of child pornography on his personal computer, he told U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis Jan. 4. He was a minister at the Tyler Street Baptist Church until he resigned after being arrested at the church parsonage.

Allen said he apologized to his family, friends and church members and vowed to fight child pornography for the rest of his ministry.

“I sincerely hope you consider that I’m 23 and that I have an opportunity to be part of the solution to the problem,” he said in court.

Judge Davis noted that Allen has no past criminal history and that he had the support of his church - factors in issuing the relatively lenient sentence.

Although Allen worked with children at the church, there is no evidence he had any inappropriate sexual contact with its youth. Allen said he “absolutely” realized the mercy the court had shown him.

Allen was also charged with distributing child pornography on Aug. 26 in Gregg County.

Among other duties, Allen served as choir director at the church. He sang in the 2000 all-state choir and was the Jacksonville Music Teachers’ Association student of the year from 1999-2001,