Arizona man sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for sexual abuse of a child

PHOENIX — An Arizona man who sexually abused a child in 2004 and was identified as the perpetrator through DNA testing 15 years later was sentenced on Tuesday, authorities said.

Joshua William Scheu, 37, of Willcox, was sentenced to 210 months behind bars after previously pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, said in a press release on Wednesday.

The victim was waiting for some friends on the Gila River Indian Nation when Scheu pulled his vehicle over to the side of the road, chased the child and pushed her into a cornfield where he forcibly raped her, authorities said.

The case went unsolved until DNA testing identified Scheu in 2019, authorities said.

“This case is another great example of the meaningful role that DNA testing has had in solving cold cases,” United States Attorney Gary Restaino said in the release.

“We are grateful for the tenacity of our law enforcement partners in continuing to pursue cases until the offenders are brought to justice.”

Scheu after being released from prison will be placed on lifetime supervised release with stringent sex offender conditions, authorities said, and also be required to register as a sex offender and complete a treatment program.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sierra Vista, authorities said.

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