Montgomery County sex offender violates probation, gets 36-year prison sentence

From Conroe Courier By Brandon K. Scott | Posted: Thursday, April 30, 2015 1:42 pm

Montgomery County sex offender violates probation, gets 36-year prison sentence

Long

A 26-year-old Magnolia man who was given a deferred probation sentence last year for pleading guilty to four counts of child pornography possession is headed to prison after violating his probation terms.

District Court Judge Kelly Case, who in March 2014 gave Joshua M. Long 10 years deferred probation stacked four nine-year sentences against Long earlier this week for a total of 36 years in prison.

Montgomery County prosecutors said Long drove without a valid license and failed to report an address change to the sex offender compliance unit.

Assistant District Attorney Mary Nan Huffman said that in 2012, Long was found with 250 videos and 50 images of child pornography in his possession.

Long pleaded guilty and asked for the judge to assign punishment.

Prosecutors had asked Case for prison time in the case against Long, but the judge suspended all four charges with a 10-year deferred sentence that would have cleared Long’s record if he successfully completed probation.

Huffman said that she was not sure what to expect going into Tuesday’s hearing, whether Long would apologize for what could be considered minor infractions and ask to again be given probation.

Long, she said, testified that he was having a difficult time with probation.

“I think 36 years was a great result,” Huffman said. “It’s probably what he should’ve gotten in the first place because the crime itself is so bad. Probation is not appropriate when you have 250 videos and 50 images of child pornography.”

Long has been held at the Montgomery County Jail on an arrest warrant since Nov. 7, 2014 records show.