PENSACOLA, Fla. — A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually abusing a child under the age of 12, according to court records.
Joe Philyaw, 39, pleaded to four counts of sexual battery while in a position of familial or custodial authority and three counts of battery of a child. Escambia County Judge Gary Bergosh imposed the 30-year sentence. After his release, Philyaw will serve 10 years of sexual offender probation and is designated a sexual predator who must register for life.
Court records show the abuse occurred between 2011 and 2017. Philyaw had previously entered a no-contest plea to lewd and lascivious conduct involving a 14-year-old, which required him to register as a sex offender.