FARMINGTON – A Jay man accused of attempting to force a female juvenile to have sex with him near Prescott Field pleaded guilty in Franklin County Superior Court today. Sentencing has been set for Dec. 5.
Shawn Burnell, 21 of Jay, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact, a Class C felony, and misdemeanor criminal restraint. Another felony charge, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, was dismissed, as was a civil violation, the consumption of alcohol by a minor.
The pleas stem from an incident that occurred on July 20 near Prescott Field, in which two juvenile females, ages 14 and 16, reported that two individuals attempted to force them to drink alcohol and have sex with them near the Sandy River. One of the two juveniles told police in an interview on July 21 that Burnell poured alcohol into her mouth while the other suspect held her from behind. At one point, Burnell allegedly took her by the wrist and pulled her into the woods. She told police that she was able to escape once, using a tree for leverage, but was tackled by Burnell and hit in the face when she attempted to call for help.
Burnell then reportedly pulled her onto a beach at the Sandy River and engaged in alleged sexual touching. The juvenile was able to escape a second time but was again seized by Burnell and held down.
Following two other escape attempts, the juvenile told police, both she and the other female juvenile were able to leave and contact their families. According to the affidavit, the juvenile had physical injuries that included a swollen cheek, where she had allegedly been struck, marks on her wrist, abrasions to her inner thighs and a sprained left ankle.
Burnell was arrested on a warrant by Farmington Police Department Officer Derrick Doucette on July 26, and was indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury on felony charges on Oct. 14. The second subject in that alleged incident was Gavin Flagg, 18 of Strong, who has been charged with misdemeanor assault.
Burnell will appear in court on Dec. 5 to be sentenced on the unlawful sexual assault and criminal restraint charges.
Hopefully the court system doesn’t only give him a deferred sentence, as they like to do now a days.
Boys like this don’t just come up with behavior like this out of the blue. I’ve talked to many people in this area of different age groups and generations— there is a long and reprehensible pattern of psycho-social norms here that involve the subjugation and abuse of minors and females. These boys see it happen in their homes, among other families and friends—- they are not learning at home or in their community that this behavior is unacceptable and wrong. This lot was caught because the girls and their families were brave enough to come forwards….. their are plenty of others that are too afraid.
He will more than likely get 6 months in jail 10 years on the sex offenders registry and mandatory counseling that’s what the system is doing for people like him these days.
The problem is that we want to place the blame on everyone except for the guilty party themselves. Lets not blame the community and family for this. This young guy knew what he was doing was wrong. This has nothing to do with culture. Stop the finger pointing and excuse making.
This not the first time for these two… No more slaps on the wrist, no more plea agreements for people like this. people like this should be behind bars, not getting third, or fourth, or no matter how many new chances!!!! The judicial system has become ALL BARK, AND NO BITE!!! set an exsample, this is agood place to start!!
With our current justice system he will plea it down and get a 2 years sentence with all but 30 days suspended and community service.
As long as we continue to not hold criminals accountable for ALL of their crimes and stop plea deals the crime rate will never decrease because they know how to play the legal system.
Excuses— I suggest you attend some local events on domestic violence and sexual assault. There is a problem here and it’s been going on a long time. In the past it was hushed up and covered up. Today people still feel enormous shame and trauma bringing it to light. Just look at the weekly police beat on the Daily Bulldog police reports. Yes the individual is ultimately responsible for their actions, that individual has a choice and they choose to be violent and exploitive. That , however, does not negate the pervasive culture of violence we have a problem with in this region. We as a community must start speaking out against this type of culture and behavior. When you hear someone talking about a violent or exploitive act at school or work or with friends– REPORT IT. You can do so anonymously, go and ask to speak with a police officer or someone from Safe Voices or DHS— if you aren’t sure that’s OK, let the people who deal with this stuff all the time evaluate the situation.
I hear stories all the time from every age group–old and young, about violence and sexual exploitation they experienced or were privy too. For too long people have felt they did not want to stick their neck out and “make trouble”. People would know, there might be personal repercussions and threats.
Fortunately, now days, our local police especially, take this very seriously. Organizations like Safe Voices take this very seriously. The schools take this very seriously. Concerns/fears can be brought up anonymously and help provided.