Hope Man Sentenced For Traveling To Vermont To Have Sex With Teen Girl
Saturday, November 23, 2024, 2:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BURLINGTON, VT.- On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, Nicholas Shelton, 25, of Hope, Arkansas, appeared in U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph N. Laplante to 81 months in federal prison to be followed by fifteen years of supervised release for his previously entered guilty plea to Traveling with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct with a Minor.
According to U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest and charging documents filed with the District Court, in March 2023, while residing in Hope, Arkansas, Shelton began communicating with a 15-year-old girl who resided in the State of Vermont utilizing two social media platform applications.
During their conversations, Shelton and the teen victim began discussing having sexual intercourse, getting married, and having children.
Shelton Found Living In The Garage Of The Child’s Home
After having the conversations on March 25, 2023, Shelton traveled to Vermont with the intent to engage in sexual activity with the teen, knowing she was only 15 years old. Shelton was found living in the garage of the 15-year-old girl’s family home and ordered to immediately leave by the child’s parents.
Within a day or two, the 15-year-old ran away from home, causing her parents to call the police for assistance in locating their daughter. Two days later, the child and Shelton were found together camping in the woods near a park in Essex, Vermont. Shelton was immediately taken into custody, and the child was returned home to her parents.
During Shelton’s plea hearing in U.S. District Court, he admitted to having sexual intercourse with the girl.
U.S. Attorney Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Essex, Vermont Police Department, leading to Shelton’s arrest, conviction, and Wednesday’s prison sentence.
