‘Sexual predator’ offered teens vapes and asked for nude photos in exchange, feds say
A “sexual predator” messaged male teens attending boarding school on social media, offering them vapes in exchange for nude photos, federal prosecutors say.
On a few occasions, the man drove about 20 miles from his North Carolina home to Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, to drop off electronic cigarettes and other vaping supplies, court documents state.
Jonathan Avery Shumate, 54, of Warrensville, used Snapchat and Grindr to “exploit” 16- and 17-year-old boys, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.
A judge sentenced Shumate to 12 years and seven months in federal prison last week, prosecutors announced in an Oct. 31 news release. His sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty in March to one count of coercion and enticement of minors.
McClatchy News contacted Shumate’s attorney for comment on Nov. 1 and was awaiting a response.
In November 2021, Shumate began messaging two male teens at Oak Hill Academy on Grindr, a dating application used by members of the LGBT community, according to a complaint. Then, he started contacting them through Snapchat after getting their phone numbers.
Oak Hill Academy is a coed boarding school for students in eighth to 12th grade.
In an interview with the Child Advocacy Center, one 16-year-old student said Shumate arrived at the school’s campus before Thanksgiving break to drop off vaping supplies, the complaint states.
In the U.S., Children’s Advocacy Centers are involved in investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases.
The same day Shumate came to campus, he asked the other student, a 17-year-old, to send sexually explicit photos of himself, according to the complaint. The 17-year-old told the Child Advocacy Center he sent photos and videos of himself to Shumate.
Ultimately, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia was alerted to Shumate after he dropped off a bag of vapes and supplies in a drainage ditch on the Oak Hill campus on a separate occasion, the complaint says. School officials found the bag on Dec. 3 and called the police.
Shumate dropped off the bag for the two students, according to the complaint. As a result, the teens’ parents allowed the sheriff’s office to search their children’s cellphones, according to the complaint.
The FBI reviewed the students’ phones and discovered Shumate sent inappropriate messages to the teens and requested sexual photos, as well as sexual acts, in exchange for vaping supplies, the complaint states.
The Ashe County Sheriff’s Office also helped the FBI and the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office investigate the case, according to the release.
Warrensville is about 125 miles northwest of Charlotte.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 1:00 PM with the headline "‘Sexual predator’ offered teens vapes and asked for nude photos in exchange, feds say."
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