The heartbroken mother of a 13-year-old child who was lured and raped by his adult female social worker wishes she had never let the perpetrator into her home.
The unidentified mother told Payton Shires of Ohio, in a statement read in court Thursday, that the abuse had shattered her son and destroyed any faith she had in the nation’s social services, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
“Instead, he was manipulated, groomed, and sexually abused by Ms. Shires,” according to the local newspaper. “I regret ever letting you in my house.”
Shires, 24, was sentenced to more than four years in prison and will be had to register as a sex offender going ahead. In May, she pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, as well as additional charges.
The victim’s mother stated that she began to notice texts between Shires and her son late last year, including one in which the counselor inquired whether he had erased specific recordings.
Investigators eventually discovered incriminating communications and at least one video of them engaging in sexual acts.
Police arranged a three-way phone call between Shires and the mother, during which the social worker acknowledged the unlawful relationship. Shires worked with the National Youth Advocate Program, which provides counseling and assistance to foster and other children.
Shires was fired once the charges surfaced.
Following her arrest, the counselor was released on $50,000 bond and arrived at the victim’s home with a revolver.
The boy’s mother, she raged, had ruined her life by informing authorities about their relationship. According to authorities, Shires threatened to kill the parent.
“I was not thinking rationally at the time that I showed up at the mother’s house,” she told the court on Thursday, claiming to be suicidal.
“I’m just thankful that she took the right steps to call the police,” Shires added, explaining that the arrest spared her from going any farther down a dark path.
Shires begged Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott for mercy during the sentencing, explaining that she had a 4-year-old kid and suffered from long-standing and untreated mental illness.
But Serrott chastised Shires for her behavior.
“He was a child,” the judge noted before issuing the sentence. “He was trying to get the help he needed.”
The heartbroken mother of a 13-year-old child who was lured and raped by his adult female social worker wishes she had never let the perpetrator into her home.
The unidentified mother told Payton Shires of Ohio, in a statement read in court Thursday, that the abuse had shattered her son and destroyed any faith she had in the nation’s social services, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
“Instead, he was manipulated, groomed, and sexually abused by Ms. Shires,” according to the local newspaper. “I regret ever letting you in my house.”
Shires, 24, was sentenced to more than four years in prison and will be had to register as a sex offender going ahead. In May, she pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful sexual contact with a minor, as well as additional charges.
The victim’s mother stated that she began to notice texts between Shires and her son late last year, including one in which the counselor inquired whether he had erased specific recordings.
Investigators eventually discovered incriminating communications and at least one video of them engaging in sexual acts.
Police arranged a three-way phone call between Shires and the mother, during which the social worker acknowledged the unlawful relationship. Shires worked with the National Youth Advocate Program, which provides counseling and assistance to foster and other children.
Shires was fired once the charges surfaced.
Following her arrest, the counselor was released on $50,000 bond and arrived at the victim’s home with a revolver.
The boy’s mother, she raged, had ruined her life by informing authorities about their relationship. According to authorities, Shires threatened to kill the parent.
“I was not thinking rationally at the time that I showed up at the mother’s house,” she told the court on Thursday, claiming to be suicidal.
“I’m just thankful that she took the right steps to call the police,” Shires added, explaining that the arrest spared her from going any farther down a dark path.
Shires begged Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Serrott for mercy during the sentencing, explaining that she had a 4-year-old kid and suffered from long-standing and untreated mental illness.
But Serrott chastised Shires for her behavior.
“He was a child,” the judge noted before issuing the sentence. “He was trying to get the help he needed.”