Morgan County Man Sentenced For Attempting To Engage In Sex With A Child

Saturday, August 2, 2025, 1:45 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

MARTINSBURG, W.VA.- On Thursday, a 40-year-old Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, man, and a child sexual predator, learned he will be spending over a decade in federal prison, after being sentenced for attempting to lure a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity with him, only to find out that the purported girl was actually and undercover law enforcement investigator.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard, on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Joel Galen Patton, 40, of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Gina M. Groh to 150 months in federal prison for his conviction of Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor.

     In handing down the sentence on Thursday, Judge Groh additionally sentenced Patton to a term of supervised release and ordered him to register as a sex offender in the national database upon completion of his custodial term.

According To The Charging Documents Filed With The Court

     According to the charging documents and statements made in the District Court, during a child sex crimes investigation, Patton began an online conversation with whom he believed was a 14-year-old girl. During the conversations, Patton requested that the child send nude and sexually explicit images of herself to him, as well as send nude pictures of himself to her. 

     The 14-year-old girl was an actual and undercover investigator who was monitoring the internet for child pornography and child predators. During one of the online chats, Patton also requested that she meet with him to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. When Patton showed up at a prearranged location, he was taken into custody and formally charged.

     Acting U.S. Attorney Bernard commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the West Virginia State Police, which resulted in the successful prosecution of Patton.