ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — A man from St. Clair, Missouri, was sentenced to federal prison after he tried to entice a 12-year-old girl for sex while on parole for a child molestation conviction.
Joshua L. Brown, 40, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after admitting to offering a 12-year-old girl drugs in exchange for sex in March of 2020.
According to a press release from the office of Sayler Fleming, the U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Missouri, Brown pleaded guilty last December to a felony charge of coercion and enticement of a minor.
In March of 2020, the Breckenridge Hills Police Department was alerted to an incident involving a man using the screen name "browning2244" who made contact with the girl through Instagram.
The victim's mother brought the phone to police, who identified the man as Joshua Brown.
Detectives continued the conversation with Brown, who still believed he was talking to the girl. Brown made arrangements to meet the girl at a park to have sexual intercourse.
Brown offered to introduce her to marijuana and methamphetamines, "which he said was like Adderall and that it would enhance the experience," the department said in 2020.
When Brown arrived at the park and police approached him, he sped off.
Officers started a high-speed chase, which lasted 45 minutes and wound through Interstates 270, 40, 44 and Route 364, the Page Avenue Extension. Brown drove his vehicle into a ditch and got away.
He was arrested in January of 2021 after a standoff with police in Jefferson County.
To report a crime to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, visit their CyberTipline online.
