Angry mother of 13-year-old boy raped by social worker reveals her deepest regret as woman sentenced to prison

The mother of a 13-year-old sexual abuse victim sent a scathing message to the counsellor who admitted raping her son, saying it had a “devastating impact” on the child’s life.

In a statement read in court Thursday, the unidentified mother said Payton Shires’ actions had caused her family to lose faith in the system designed to help them.

“Instead, he was manipulated, groomed and sexually abused by Ms. Shires,” the mother’s statement said, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

“I regret ever letting you into my house,” the mother added, shortly before the former social worker was sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Shires, 24, pleaded guilty in May to four counts of sexual abuse of a minor, one count of firearm scare and one count of witness or victim intimidation.

The boy’s mother said she suspected Shires of sexually abusive behavior when she noticed some text messages between him and her son on the state-certified counselor’s phone.

In one of these messages, Shires asked the boy if he had “deleted the videos” – and if anyone had ever seen them.

As Columbus police later discovered, those videos were not deleted. A subsequent forensic examination of the teen’s cell phone found even more incriminating messages – and at least one video showing Shires and the boy having sex.

In the subsequent arrest documents, police wrote that the boy told them the alleged sexual relationship began in September.

The police then arranged a three-way conference between the mother, the detectives and Shires, in which the social worker allegedly admitted the sexual relationship.

Then, in October 2023, she was arrested – just four months after she received her license as a social worker.

State records show her counseling license was issued on June 12, 2023, and she was hired to work with the National Youth Advocate Program.

The program, which supports families in foster care or in need of advocacy, released Shires after her arrest, the Dispatch reported.

Shires was released on $50,000 bail after her arrest – but then showed up at the victim’s home with a gun – claiming the boy’s mother had “ruined her life” and “taken everything” from her because she reported the abuse.

She is also said to have threatened to kill the boy’s mother – and was later charged with witness tampering. When a judge read out the new charges in October, she was seen sobbing.

But on Thursday, Shires apologized in court for her behavior that day.

“I wasn’t thinking rationally when I showed up at my mother’s house,” she said.

“I was extremely suicidal. I never intended to harm anyone other than myself.

“And I’m just grateful that she took the right steps and called the police,” Shires continued. “She saved my life that day.”

“And besides, I just feel terrible about the mistakes I made,” she added.

She then asked Judge Mark Serrott of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas for a lenient sentence. Her attorney, Gregg Slemmer, pointed out that she has a four-year-old son whom she cannot see and that she suffers from serious mental health problems for which she has never received the help she needs.

“It was always their intention to help this person,” Slemmer argued. “The lines are blurred.”

But Judge Serrott reprimanded Shires for abusing her position of trust.

“He was a child,” the judge said. “He was trying to get the help he needed.”

He went on to criticise Shires for suggesting that the victim was trying to coerce or blackmail her into continuing the relationship.

“You are the adult,” said Serrott. “You are professionally trained to avoid such situations.”

In the end, Serrott sentenced the former social worker to four years and nine months in prison – with 253 days of pre-trial detention being credited to his sentence.

She has the possibility of being released on parole after 18 months behind bars for good behavior – a form of release with mandatory therapy.

If she is denied early release, Shires will remain on probation for five years.

She will also have to register as a sex offender every 180 days for 25 years after her release.