Ohio Social Worker Arrested on 24th Birthday, Accused of Sexually Abusing Teen Boy

COLUMBUS, Ohio. – A 24-year-old social worker from Ohio faces charges of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy whom she had been assigned to counsel.

The Columbus Dispatch reported that Payton Shires, whose arrest took place on her birthday last Friday, admitted to the sexual relationship during a three-way phone call involving Shires, the boy’s mother, and the police.

Shires had previously been employed by the National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP), an organization that offers counseling, social work, and advocacy services to families within the foster care system. It remains unclear when Shires ceased working for this organization.

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The boy’s mother contacted the police on September 27 after discovering suspicious text messages on her 13-year-old son’s cellphone from Shires, as detailed in court documents. Police subsequently found a video on the phone depicting the teen and Shires engaged in sexual activity, as indicated by the court records. The teen reportedly told detectives that he had engaged in sexual intercourse with Shires multiple times in September at various locations in Columbus.

Shires has been charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, and her bond is set at $500,000, according to WSYX-TV.

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