Cyrus Shelton, an Ohio pastor whose rant against an LGBTQ-themed book series at a school book fair went viral and prompted a local school district to restrict future events, has pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
At an April 20 hearing in Clinton County Common Pleas Court, Mr. Shelton, 49, a Morrow resident and former pastor of Blanchester Community Church, accepted a plea deal negotiated on April 17, three days before a scheduled five-day jury trial. wilmington news journal I will report it.
As part of the agreement, Shelton pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct and one count of stalking threats, which were reduced from a fourth-degree felony to a first-degree misdemeanor, Clinton County Attorney Brian Sidaker said.
In return, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges in the 12-count indictment, including rape, sexual coercion, sexual assault and arson.
Prosecutors said the charges stem from three separate incidents and are third-degree felonies because Shelton was at least 10 years older than the victim.
Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Sievers said Shelton knew the victim and her family through his church, where he later became a pastor in 2020, and through his son. In the summer of 2019, Shelton allegedly asked the victim, who lived in Wilmington with her parents, to work in construction.
“I would pick her up most weekdays and return her home on days when no one was usually around,” Sievers told the court. Seavers said Shelton began having sex with the then-14-year-old victim in September 2019.
According to Cincinnati NBC affiliate station WLWTThe indictment alleges that the abuse occurred multiple times between September and December 2019 at Shelton’s home in Morrow, Cowan Lake, and a Holiday Inn hotel room at Roberts Center in Wilmington.
Prosecutors also said that from July 29, 2025, to August 6, 2025, approximately six years after their last contact, Shelton made harassing phone calls and made false reports to the young woman’s employer. Authorities told him to stop contacting her, but he continued to contact her via text messages, emails and social media, allegedly tormenting her.
Each of the three unlawful sexual conduct felonies carries a possible sentence of one to five years in prison, or up to 15 years if the sentences are served consecutively rather than concurrently. A misdemeanor charge of stalking can carry up to 180 days in jail.
If sentenced to prison, Shelton would be subject to five years of post-release supervision, classified as a second-degree sex offender, and required to register in-person every 180 days for 25 years.
Shelton remains out on bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22nd.
In 2023, Shelton spoke at a Little Miami School District Board of Education meeting and criticized LGBTQ books at the Scholastic Book Fair, specifically Alice Ausman’s graphic novel series. heart stopper — and hinted that they were part of an effort to get kids to identify as LGBTQ.
“I don’t think kids should ever question their sexuality. I don’t think kids should ever explore their sexuality. I don’t think that stuff should ever be in schools,” Shelton said, also slamming Pride flags and the “health risks” of being gay. The remarks were recorded and shared widely on social media.
“I don’t understand why this kind of material is in libraries and book fairs,” he said. “I’m telling you, reading that stuff today made me feel sick.”
In response to Shelton’s comments and other complaints, the district temporarily canceled all book fairs and created a committee to review potentially objectionable material.
The district then limited the book fair to two days and moved it to the evening of parent-teacher conferences so students could be supervised by their parents.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
