CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County man will spend up to 50 years in prison for sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl who was under his care at the time.
Joshua Hudson, of Cedar Grove, was sentenced Monday in Kanawha County Circuit Court.
Judge Tera Salango handed down the maximum prison time citing Hudson’s lack of remorse for what he did in Nov. 2022.
“You stand here in front of me. I feel like you have a smirk on your face and that just reinforces to me that you have absolutely zero remorse for hurting this little girl,” the judge said to Hudson.
Salango said Hudson’s actions will have serious consequences on the girl’s life. She said she wants to protect others from this kind of abuse in the future.
“You totally took advantage of this young’s child and I don’t think that you understand what you’ve done to this little girl and how that is going to affect her for her entire life,” Salango said. “It is my job and my duty to make sure you never have the opportunity to hurt another child the way you hurt this baby, so for those reasons you deserve nothing less than the maximum.”
Hudson was the girl’s legal guardian at the time of the abuse. He was originally charged with 12 counts of sex-related crimes.
Hudson’s sentences will run consecutively. He was also ordered 50 years of supervision after he’s released and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.