FORT PAYNE, Ala. — A DeKalb County judge on Friday denied bond for a former part-time deputy accused of engaging in multiple sexual acts with two teenage boys last summer.
Joshua Wells was attending the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Training Center Reserve Academy, hoping to become certified as a police officer, according to court documents. He had previously been employed with the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office as a deputy on a part-time basis.
Wells was originally arrested July 17 and charged with second-degree sexual abuse and later posted bond. According to court documents, Wells was again arrested Aug. 2 after a separate complaint was filed. Wells was then charged with first-degree sodomy.
Court affidavits show the victim met Wells in 2023 through a church camp function, and that over the course of several months, Wells, that victim, and the victim's brother allegedly engaged in multiple sexual acts.
Documents also describe a trip to a Georgia store where sex toys were purchased and used on the boys.
The complaint alleges that Wells continued to attempt contact with the victims despite requests from the boys' parents to stay away from them, with the most recent attempt made on July 2, 2024.
Once complaints were officially filed, Wells was relieved of his duties at the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.
In ruling against setting bond for Wells, the District Court stated that, "while the Defendant has substantial ties to the community ... the Court finds that his history in that community of maintaining positions of authority has provided access to vulnerable populations that are specifically at risk from the Defendant's alleged conduct."
If convicted, Wells faces a possible sentence of life in prison.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has a 24-hour hotline at (800) THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) for reporting missing or exploited children. You can also report child sexual exploitation online at CyberTipline.org.
