Former Louisiana pastor gets 60 years in child porn case
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP)- A former Louisiana pastor has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in a child porn case.
The American Press reports John Michael Ward pleaded guilty Nov. 19, to two counts of production of child pornography.
He was sentenced last week to 30 years on each charge to run consecutively.
Ward was previously the pastor of Bellview Baptist Church in Westlake, where he had served since 2012.
Authorities say he was arrested in 2019 for raping a child for a period of more than two years, beginning when the child was 10. The 45-year-old faces other charges in state district court.