Ohio social worker accused of having sex with boy, 13, she was counselling
Mike BediganMon, 9 October 2023 at 8:46 pm GMT+1·1-min read
Ohio social worker accused of having sex with boy, 13, she was counselling
A social worker in Ohio has been arrested after allegedly engaging in sexual contact multiple times with a 13-year-old boy she had been counselling.
Payton Shires, 24, was arrested by police in Columbus on Friday after a woman contacted the police on September 27.
According to USA Today, the woman told police she had found text messages on her son’s mobile phone between him and Ms Shires.
The outlet reported that the woman believed "something inappropriate” was happening between her son and Shires after seeing messages asking if he had deleted the videos and asking if his mother had seen the videos or messages.
A video showing the two engaging in sexual activity was found by the police on the teenager’s phone, according to court records obtained by USA Today.
Officers from the Columbus Division of Police Exploited Children/PACT Unit, with the assistance of Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, arrested Ms Shires, and she was charged with Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor – a felony of the third degree.
A statement from the force read: “Ms Shires is a licensed social worker involved in counseling youth, formerly employed by National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP).
“The investigation revealed Ms Shires engaged in sexual conduct, multiple times, with a juvenile client assigned to her for counseling.”
The department added that Shires had been taken into custody without incident, and that additional charges may be added in future.
She appeared in the Franklin County Municipal Court on Saturday where a judge set a bond of $500,000.
