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Wadsworth man gets 26 years for molesting boys

A Wadsworth man was sentenced to 26 years in prison Wednesday for molesting two boys over a period of years.

Joseph Wojdyla, 21, could have been sent away for up to 40 years under the terms of his negotiated guilty plea.

On Feb. 25, Wojdyla pleaded guilty to predatory sexual assault of a child and criminal sexual assault with the understanding he would receive at least 14 years behind bars.

Lake County sheriff’s police received a tip that there were photographs of naked children on Wojdyla’s cellphone on Sept. 8, 2009.

Investigators went to his residence on the 3900 block of Delany Road to interview him and discovered approximately 10 such pictures.

The names of two boys, one 12 and the other 13, were found listed on the pictures and the boys told police they had been repeatedly molested by Wojdyla since early 2008.

Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Stanton asked Associate Judge George Bridges to impose the maximum sentence because Wojdyla had groomed the children by giving them presents. She said that even after the boys were identified and had spoken to police, Wojdyla continued to deny that anything wrong had taken place between himself and the children.

Defense attorney Al Wysocki argued for the minimum sentence, saying his client had voluntarily entered sex offender counseling after his arrest.

As a result of that counseling, Wysocki said Wojdyla had been transformed into someone deeply remorseful for what he had done.

Bridges rejected the call for the maximum sentence but did say a lengthy term was necessary to protect the public.

He encouraged Wojdyla to continue his sex offender treatment while in prison in order for him to be better prepared to deal with society upon his release.

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