DUPLIN COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A Duplin County man will spend at least the next 20 years in state prison after admitting to a rape.

Joseph Sanderson was sentenced last week to serve between 20 and 29 years.

The 37-year-old man pleaded guilty last Tuesday to first degree rape and first degree statutory sex offense.

Sanderson was arrested back in October of 2023 for the crimes and prosecutors dropped several charges in return for the guilty plea.

In addition to the prison sentence, Sanderson will have to be on the state sex offender registry for the rest of his life, as well as be on a GPS monitoring system when released from prison.

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