Registered sex offender found guilty of committing lewd acts against sleeping child

CADDO PARISH, La. (KSLA) - A man from Caddo parish was found guilty of indecent behavior with a juvenile under age 13 after his girlfriend found him with her daughter.

According to Caddo Parish District Attorney, a six-woman and six-man jury found Joshua Masters, 39, guilty as charged on Feb. 7.

On September 28, 2021, Masters was found by his girlfriend in the bedroom of her 10-year-old daughter. He was masturbating to the child’s exposed rear-end. The child had taken melatonin to go to sleep that night, and he had waited until the girl and her mother had fallen asleep before performing the lewd and lascivious act, say the DA’s office.

The child, her mother, and the investigating officer testified against Masters; the jury deliberated for approximately one hour before returning its verdict.

Officials say Masters is a registered sex offender. He has a prior conviction of rape by instrumentation on an unconscious victim, which took place in Bryan County, Oklahoma. This crime was presented to the jury.

When Masters returns to court for sentencing on March 27, he faces from 2 to 25 years in prison at hard labor, with at least the first two years to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.