Former Army National Guard recruiter sentenced for sexual abuse of minor at JBLM

TACOMA, Wash. - A former Army National Guard recruiter was sentenced to 10 years in prison for what a judge called "sadistic" and "indescribably cruel" crimes against a minor at Joint Base Lewis-McCord. 

Joshua Harrod, 44, of Spanaway, was charged in July 2021 for sexually molesting a young child left in his care at JBLM. The assaults occurred between October 2017 and April 2018, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Harrod tried to falsify phone records related to evidence in the case and also pleaded guilty to those charges.

He was sentenced to 10 years for enticement of a minor and will be on "lifetime supervised release" when he gets out.

"The consequences of many crimes before me do not have the impact that this one does…Victims of these crimes carry with them a life sentence," said U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle.