Payton Shires, Ohio social worker pleads guilty to four counts of sexual misconduct with 13 year old teen patient who she was suppose to counsel.
An Ohio social worker accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy — who was her client — has pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct.
Payton Harleigh Shires, 24, of Mount Sterling pleaded guilty to several charges on Tuesday including four counts of unlawful sexual misconduct with a minor, WBNS reported.
She reportedly admitted to having sex with the teen on a three-way call on Oct. 6 while on the phone with the boy’s mom and Columbus detectives.
Social worker gets nearly 5 years for betraying 13 year old boy
‘You ruined my life!’
The admission follows the social worker in October being accused of having sex multiple times with the teen, who was a client assigned to her for counseling.
The social worker also pleaded guilty for causing panic by showing up at the victim’s home with a gun while she was out on bond — claiming the boy’s mother ‘ruined her life’ by calling the cops on her. At the time, Shires had threatened to take her own life.
The boy’s mother contacted police Sept. 27 to report her suspicions after allegedly discovering inappropriate text messages between her son and Shires. The victim’s mom came across text messages that inquired whether the teen had ‘deleted the videos’ and if his mom had seen them or the messages.
It was weeks after her arrest, while out on bond, that Shires showed up to the victim’s home with a gun.
Police said she was formally employed by the National Youth Advocate Program, a group that specializes in working with families involved in the foster care system, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Shires, received her social worker license in Ohio back on June 12, 2023, before starting work with the National Youth Advocate Program.
The teen’s mother has since filed a lawsuit against the National Youth Advocate Program.
Shires now faces up to 28-and-a-half years in prison when she’s sentenced on June 27.
