Man pleads guilty to sex offenses during Boy Scouts camping trip

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An man pleaded guilty to several sex crimes involving two preteen boys.

Timothy Grant Shaw, 18, pleaded guilty in a New Hanover County courtroom just before lunch on charges including first degree sexual offense of a child, second degree sexual assault of a minor and third degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Those charges are punishable by a sentence of life without parole, but as part of the plea deal, Shaw was sentenced to between 18 and 26 years in prison. The time he has already spent in jail will be taken out of that sentence, which is about a year. After prison, Shaw will be registered as a sex offender for 30 years.

The offenses were with two 12-year-old boys during a weekend camping trip with the Boy Scouts in March of 2014. Explicit images from Shaw started the investigation. Child pornography was also found on Shaw’s computer.

Shaw’s attorney read a letter from his client to the victims. In that letter, Shaw apologized for the incidents and said his issues started when he was molested by a neighbor.