Joseph Ward, the New Martinsville man accused of sex crimes against children, was sentenced to two years in prison during a hearing Wednesday before Wetzel County Circuit Court Judge Richard Wilson.

Ward took an Alford plea, which is a plea that acknowledges there is enough evidence for one to be convicted, but still allows him to deny guilt.

The agreement called for Ward to plead to one count of “use of a minor in filming sexually explicit conduct” and one count of “distribution and exhibiting of material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

On the first count, Ward received a two-year prison sentence. On the second count, Ward received a five-year prison sentence that was suspended and replaced with two years of probation after he gets out of prison on the first cou

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