Former University of Michigan debate director sentenced to prison in local solicitation case
An Ypsilanti man who solicited what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl over the Internet on multiple occasions was sentenced again to prison.
Court records show Joshua Hoe, 43, was ordered to serve nine months in prison and multiple years of probation upon his release in a case investigated by a special unit of the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
Joshua Hoe
Authorities said he had graphic sexual online conversations and shared pornographic images with an undercover investigator posing as a teenage girl.
Circuit Judge Archie Brown ordered the prison sentence to be concurrent with a prison sentence Hoe received for a similar crime in Macomb County.
Last month, a Macomb judge sentenced Hoe to between one and seven years in prison for distributing child sexually abusive material and multiple counts of accosting children for immoral purposes, records show.
Hoe, who was director of the University of Michigan debate team until the charges were filed, pleaded guilty in October to counts of communicating with another to commit a crime over the Internet and accosting a child for immoral purposes in Washtenaw County. Prosecutors dismissed charges of using a computer to commit a crime.
Hoe’s attorney, Thomas Loeb, has not return messages seeking comment.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
Comments
puddintane
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 9:26 a.m.
thats just great a 2 time pedophile and 9 months is all he gets.. remember the judges name on this.. then next time this guy harms someone its on him.. as to when will guys like this learn, answer is never. thats why they are so dangerous. they know what they're doing the just cant stop. friggin scum bag
TruthMan
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 9:05 a.m.
Shame on Judge Brown!!!! A concurrent sentence says that all the time and money it cost to bring him to trial here was wasted, and the crime he committed here wasn't worth nay punishment. You couldn't be more wrong!!
Chris 8 - YPSI PRIDE
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 12:55 a.m.
JAIL is a torture chamber. PRISON allows more freedom to live in a small community atmosphere with serious restrictions. This guy should consider himself lucky he was not sentenced to JAIL to do his time. PROBLEM, the law allows anything over a year to be considered PRISON. If the laws were changed, someone who molests a child or attempts to should sit in a JAIL for a while. PRISON allows to many rights for people who molest children.
joe average
Wed, Nov 17, 2010 : 6:13 p.m.
A better debater would be out on the street right now. I'm just sayin'....
Eileen
Wed, Nov 17, 2010 : 6:09 p.m.
What is the point in giving more than one sentence if the convicted person serves them concurrently? How does that punish anyone?
Tom Joad
Wed, Nov 17, 2010 : 5:44 p.m.
You'd have to be a clueless fool to think some 14 year old girl is out there soliciting sex off the internet, a fool.
djm12652
Wed, Nov 17, 2010 : 4:35 p.m.
@Silly Sally....so true! @nickcarraweigh...would the courts follow Federal sentencing guidelines or State?
nickcarraweigh
Wed, Nov 17, 2010 : 4:21 p.m.
Did this happen when I was drinking apple cider or lemonade? Was there snow on the ground, or was I planting tomatoes? What phase was the moon in? What prize goes to the lucky reader who comes closest to guessing the actual length of the probation to follow the "prison" sentence? Who goes to prison, instead of jail, for a period less than a year? These might all make good debate resolutions, come to think of it.
Silly Sally
Wed, Nov 17, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.
When will guys such as Mr. Hoe learn about the internet and underage girls, and porn. They all seem to be such slow learners. I hope that this is an example to all and it helps to reduce such activity. I'm glad that I was never contacted by men when I was 14. Neither should anyone else.