COLUMBUS – A 24-year-old Mt. Sterling woman appeared in court Saturday on charges she had sex with a teenage boy she was supposed to be counseling.
Payton Shires is a licensed social worker who was arrested on a charge of having unlawful sexual conduct with a minor after Columbus police said she engaged in sexual conduct with a 13-year-old client assigned to her for counseling, Sgt. Steve Oboczky of the Columbus Division of Police Exploited Children/PACT Unit said.
An investigation by the PACT Unit, with the assistance of Franklin County Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, revealed that Shires engaged in sexual conduct, multiple times, with the teen and SWAT officers took her into custody without incident on Friday, Oboczky said.
Additional charges may be added in the future.
Shires is a former employee of the National Youth Advocate Program, Oboczky said.