Former after-school assistant gets prison term in sex case

A former after-school care assistant in Phoenix has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Maricopa County Superior Court officials say Judge John Rea (ray) on Wednesday also sentenced Lawrence Joseph Amaral to lifetime probation.

Amaral pleaded guilty last June. He originally faced 10 counts of sexual exploitation after his October 2014 arrest.

Authorities said he worked for 5 ½ years at St. Louis the King Catholic School, where he had direct contact with children in the after-school program.

Amaral was taken into custody after county sheriff’s deputies said several hundred images of child pornography were found on his home computer.

Deputies said Amaral told them he didn’t commit any hands-on offense and he only looked at images.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.