A former Putnam County school resource officer has been sentenced to life in prison plus 235 years after his conviction on multiple counts related to a sexual relationship with a minor, according to the  State Attorney’s Office.

A jury found Joshua Herren guilty in July on 16 charges that include two counts of sexual battery of a child 12 to 18, two more for unlawful sex with a minor and eight counts of promoting sexual performance of a child, prosecutors say.

Herren committed these crimes over a three-year period while he was a school resource deputy, prosecutors say.

Sheriff Gator DeLoach told News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner, that Herren was having a sexual relationship with a local student. 

Herren will also be designated a sexual predator, the State Attorney’s Office says.

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