A Batavia man was sentenced to 82 years in prison after being found guilty of thirteen counts of pandering in a sexually oriented matter involving a minor. These videos featured extreme violence against the victims, including rape, sexual torture, and acts of bestiality.
Mark J. Tekulve, the Clermont County Prosecutor, said that Charles Shropshire, 39, had been sentenced following a two-day jury trial.
The Clermont County Sheriff’s Office began simultaneous investigations in 2022.
One case involved many alleged rapes of a kid, while the other involved an ICAC tip about Child Sexual Abuse Material (C-SAM) found on various Shropshire social media platforms. As part of her investigation into the initial crimes, Sgt. Yvonne Sheppard inspected the Defendant’s cell phone and discovered multiple CSAM films, some of which were 14 minutes long. Officials stated that the discovered recordings displayed not only sexual violence but also bestiality.
The trial for the CSAM videos began on Tuesday and concluded on Wednesday afternoon. The jury found all thirteen charges of pandering in a sexually oriented matter involving a minor guilty.
Joe Ruchti, a criminalist with the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office’s S.A.F.E. Unit, spent hours going over data on Shropshire’s phone to assess the evidence and gain a conviction. He delivered what officials described as critical testimony to assist Assistant Prosecutors Christina Dattilo and Nick Horton.
“While we may not know who these children are, we know many of them were tortured and forced to endure unspeakable sex acts. My office will continue to fight for these children who are not in a position to fight for themselves. We are dedicated to stopping the continuous spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material in Clermont County and will devote countless hours to getting justice for the victims whose names are unknown to us. The victims of CSAM are not only being sexually abused, but their images and videos are sometimes shared all over the world via the internet. Sheriff Christopher Stratton and my office continue to send the message that if you create, download, or possess CSAM in Clermont County, you will face severe punishment. I want to personally thank the Jurors who had to watch these horrific videos. Without your bravery and dedication, we would not be able to achieve justice for these children,” wrote Prosecutor Tekulve.
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