A 20-year-old from Alva is facing several serious court charges after becoming sexually involved with an underage girl, age 15.

Joshua Aaron Edwards is charged with four felony counts in Woods County:

• Rape – second degree for sexual intercourse, punishable by imprisonment for one to 15 years.

• Rape by instrumentation for finger penetration, punishable by imprisonment for one to 15 years.

• Pornography – procure/produce/distribute/possess juvenile pornography for photos of a 15 year-old, punishable by imprisonment up to 20 years and/or a fine up to $25,000.

• Violation of Oklahoma statute via computer for using cell phones to produce and distribute nude pictures and solicit sex, punishable by imprisonment not more than five years and/or a fine not more than $5,000.

According to court records, the girl’s parents spoke to Woods County Undersheriff Keith Dale on Sept. 12 following a check of their daughter’s cellphone. After finding the messages between their daughter and Edwards, the parents said they checked a camper trailer behind their residence and found a partial condom wrapper next to the bed.

Dale spoke with the girl who said she became acquainted with Edwards in 2017 in a scholastic program at Northwestern Oklahoma State University but did not see him again until a family camping trip to Keystone Lake the weekend of Aug. 30. She said they began talking and exchanged information.

The girl told Dale she and Edwards communicated by calling, texting, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. She said they began talking about dating and sex. According to the affidavit, the girl said Edwards acknowledged sex with her would be illegal due to their age differences and knew he would get into trouble but told her he loved her and getting into trouble would be “worth it.”

Dale executed a search warrant on the girl’s cellphone for evidence.

About 4 p.m. on Sept. 12, Dale conducted a post-Miranda interview with Edwards at the Woods County Sheriff’s Office. According to the affidavit, Edwards admitted having daily communication with the15-year-old girl since they were at Keystone Lake. He said he knew she was 15. He told Dale they exchanged nude images, and he admitted to sexual intercourse with the girl.

Edwards was placed under arrest and booked into the county jail. Felony charges were filed Sept. 14.