CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A Clay County man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Friday for producing images of child sex abuse and possession of that material.
Edwin Alan Hardin, 35, pleaded guilty on Feb. 17 and, as part of his plea agreement, he admitted to sex trafficking two girls under the age of 14, as well as luring a third girl to engage in illegal sexual activity, the Department of Justice says.
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Court documents say Hardin started the abuse when the first victim was just 12 or 13 years old.
The second victim was abused for two years while a third victim was abused during a sleepover with the first victim, the documents say. Hardin also had sexually explicit images of the second victim on his phone.
A Clay County deputy found Hardin with the first victim inside a truck behind a shopping center in Orange Park on May 8, 2020. The deputy saw Hardin zipping up his pants as he approached.
The victim agreed to speak with a detective and stated she was being sexually abused in the truck. She identified the two other victims who were also being abused. She also revealed text messages that exposed the relationship as being sexual. Hardin was arrested at the scene.
In addition to his prison sentence, Hardin is required to register as a sex offender and serve a lifetime of supervised release.
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