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Last updated on Monday, February 13, 2017
(BEDFORD) - A Bedford man was sentenced to 16 years in prison after Lawrence County Superior Court I Judge Michael Robbins called him a violent sexual predator.
29-year-old Joshua Love of Bedford pleaded guilty to charges of criminal confinement and sexual battery, in a negotiated plea deal in January.
As part of that plea deal charges of rape and battery resulting in serious bodily injury will be dropped.
In a second case Love was charged with rape and sexual battery, those charges were dropped as part of the deal.
Judge Robbins sentenced Love to the maximum sentence of 16 years at the Indiana Department of Correction on the charges of criminal confinement and 2.5 years for sexual battery. One year will be on electronic monitoring and two years will be served on probation.
According to a Lawrence County Superior Court I probable cause affidavit, the woman told police that Love in October had posted job opportunities on Facebook and she needed a job so she sent him a private message inquiring about the job.
The job was held in Indianapolis, and Love agreed to drive her from her home in Mitchell to the interview on October 21, 2015.
According to the affidavit, Love asked the woman "how bad she wanted the job." He then exposed himself to the woman.
The woman told Love "no" and said she was not interested in him sexually.
According to the woman, as they approached the railroad tracks on Yockey Road, Love forced her to perform oral sex on him.
First Charge:
Lawrence County Police arrested Joshua Love on April 3 on a Level 1 felony charge of rape, a Level 3 felony of criminal confinement and a Level 5 felony charge of battery causing serious bodily injury.
According to Sheriff Mike Branham, a 25-year-old woman went to IU Health Bedford Hospital on March 4 to report that she had been raped.
"The victim stated that the rape occurred at a vacant property in Lawrence County," Branham added. "She did not know the suspect."
Detectives worked diligently over the following month to identify Love as the suspect.
The victim identified Love as her attacker and police were able to secure a warrant to collect his DNA.
"Mr. Love initially denied being at the location where the alleged offense occurred on the date of the alleged offense, but later changed his story and admitted to being there with the victim on that date," Sheriff Branham added. "Mr. Love initially denied having sexual contact of any kind with the victim, but later admitted that he did have sexual contact with the victim at the location described by the victim."
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