MOUNT STERLING, OH — Payton Harleigh Shires, a 24-year-old mental health counselor from Mount Sterling, Ohio, has pleaded guilty to multiple criminal charges related to the abuse of a 13-year-old boy she was assigned to help.
The plea was entered in a Franklin County courtroom, where Shires admitted to four counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
Additionally, Shires faced charges for causing panic by arriving armed at the victim’s home while on bond, during which she claimed the boy’s mother had “ruined her life” by involving the police. This led to her additional guilty plea for witness/victim intimidation.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Shires could be sentenced to up to 28-and-a-half years in prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for June 27.
The allegations against Shires came to light in late September when she reportedly confessed to the abuse during a phone call with the victim’s mother, which was monitored by police. The mother also reported discovering incriminating messages and potentially deleted videos sent by Shires to her son.
Shires, who received her social worker license on June 12, 2023, was employed by the National Youth Advocate Program at the time of the offenses.