15-year sentence given to Joplin man convicted of child sex crimes

A man from Joplin has been given a 15-year prison sentence after he admitted to child molestation.

51-year-old Jason Black pleaded guilty to the class B felony of Child Molestation in the Second Degree.

He was arrested in 2023 after he was accused of having explicit contact with a girl when she was 8 and 9 years of age.

The victim told investigators that Black continued to communicate with her through text messages after he committed those crimes.