Arkansas Man Sentenced to 81 Months for Traveling to Have Sex with a Minor

Rutland, Vermont - The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont stated that on November 20, 2024, Nicholas Shelton, 25, of Hope, Arkansas, was sentenced by United States District Judge Joseph N. Laplante to a term of 81 months' imprisonment to be followed by a 15-year term of supervised release. Shelton previously pleaded guilty to traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

According to court records, in March 2023, while living in Hope, Arkansas, Shelton began communicating with a 15-year-old girl who resided in Vermont using two social media platforms. During their conversations, Shelton and his victim began discussing having sexual intercourse, getting married, and having children. Thereafter, on March 25, 2023, Shelton traveled to Vermont with the intent to engage in sexual activity with the minor victim, knowing she was only 15 years old. Shelton was discovered living in the garage of the 15-year-old victim's family home, and ordered to leave by the child's parents. Shortly thereafter, the 15-year-old ran away from home, prompting the family to call the police for assistance. Two days later, the 15-year-old child and Shelton were found camping in the woods near a park in Essex, Vermont. Shelton admitted to having intercourse with the 15-year-old child.

United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the collaborative investigatory efforts of Homeland Security Investigations and the Essex, Vermont Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan A. Ophardt. Shelton was represented by Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.