A Lowellville man will spend over two decades in prison for taking photographs while molesting a child. 

Joseph Garchar, 36, was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison after being convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor. 

In December 2022, Pulaski, Pennsylvania Police contacted the FBI after someone reported finding images on Garchar's phone showing a male touching a female child's genitals. 

A witness told investigators that they believed the male hand shown in the photos was that of Garchar, after a witness said that he always has "dirty hands due to his job." 

In January 2023, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner at the Children's Advocacy Center of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania told the FBI that the child in the photos was pre-pubescent female. 

According to an affidavit, 18 photos were found on the phone, and it was determined that they were taken in April and October at Garchar's home. 

Garchar will also serve 10 years on probation upon release, and was ordered to pay $34,056 in restitution.