LILLINGTON, N.C. (WTVD) -- A former Harnett County deputy convicted of child sex crimes was sentenced to 23 years in prison, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said Monday.

Former patrol officer Johnathan Andrew Edwards, 37, will also have 15 years of supervised release upon completing his sentence and must pay $10,000 in restitution for producing child sex-abuse material.

"This defendant disgraced his badge and betrayed the community he swore to protect," said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. "Law enforcement officers who engage in crimes of child exploitation are no different than the predators they should be stopping. Our office will zealously pursue those who fuel the demand for child sexual abuse material, no matter their title or position."

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investig

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