Payton Shires (Columbus Police Department)
A social worker in Ohio who just got her license over the summer is accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy she was supposed to counsel at least two times in September.
Payton Harleigh Shires was arrested in Franklin County on Friday, Oct. 6, which happens to have been her 24th birthday.
Franklin County Municipal Court records reviewed by Law&Crime show that the former National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) employee from Mount Sterling in Madison County is charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, specifically in violation of section 2907.04(B)(3) of Ohio Revised Code:
(3) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(4) of this section, if the offender is ten or more years older than the other person, unlawful sexual conduct with a minor is a felony of the third degree.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Shires was reported to the Columbus Police Department on Sept. 27 by the boy's mother, who said she saw messages from the suspect to her son asking if the mother "had seen the videos or messages" or if those videos had been deleted.
When the mother showed her son's phone to cops, they allegedly found the videos of illicit sexual contact and texts that Shires didn't want anyone else to see.
After law enforcement set up an interview with the 13-year-old and learned about at least two instances of unlawful sexual conduct, cops listened in as the boy's mother called up and spoke with Shires last Thursday, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
During that call, Shires allegedly admitted to having a sexual relationship with the 13-year-old. She was arrested the next day, on her birthday.
Records show that Shires became a licensed social worker in the state of Ohio as recently as June 12, 2023.
As of Monday morning, that license's status is listed as active and set to expire two years from the date it was issued.
Law&Crime reached out to NYAP for comment on Shires' arrest.
"Protecting children is everyone's responsibility. The National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) is saddened by the situation involving one of our former employees and a young person served by our organization," the group said in a statement. "NYAP has reported the situation to Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) and is collaborating with them and the Columbus Police Department on this case."
The organization's website says it provides "opportunities and resources to youth and families through our innovative programs and services, and we strongly support and offer guidance to our dedicated foster parents" and has done so since 1978.
A judge in Franklin County set Shires' bond at $500,085 at her Saturday morning arraignment, court records show.
As a condition of her bond, Shires is to have no unsupervised contact with minors. A preliminary hearing is set for the morning of Oct. 16.
The only other case within Franklin County associated with Shires was a speeding violation dating back to 2018. The court docket said the case for driving 84 mph in a 65 mph zone ended with a guilty disposition on March 31, 2018.
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