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S.C. man sentenced to 29 years for statutory rape

A Landrum, S.C., man who befriended an underaged girl in order to have sex with her was sentenced to 29 years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of statutory rape and one counting of solicting a child by computer, District Attorney Greg Newman said in a news release.

Zachery Shehan pleaded guilty in Polk County Superior Court to the charges on Nov. 16. Shehan met and befriended the victim in a church they attended in South Carolina, Newman said. Shehan communicated with the victim daily by text messages and emails beginning in early 2013 and continuing through August 2014. Despite warnings by the church pastor and the victim's father cease any contact with the victim, Shehan and the victim had sexual intercourse in December 2013 in his vehicle near the victim’s residence in Polk County, the news release said. This occurred on two other occasions during the following months.

“The thing that was most offensive to everyone was that Shehan approached this kid at church," Newman said. "There are very few places left where people can feel safe and church should be one of them. He was told by the pastor and her father to leave her alone and he didn’t get the message. That is when law enforcement was brought in. We want to get the message across that we aim to protect our citizens, especially our most vulnerable including children and the elderly. We are very appreciative of the hard work Polk County Sheriff’s Office put into this case and the sentence Judge (Mark) Powell imposed.”