Former minister gets 20 years for sex crimes
GREENWOOD – Shawn Davies, former music and youth minister at First Baptist Church here, was sentenced Jan. 12 to 20 years in prison for molesting children at the church. He was convicted of 25 counts of abuse dating from 2003.
Several teenage boys were abused. According to the charges, the incidents began in the summer of 2003 and lasted through the fall of 2005.
The 20-year sentence was as a result of a plea bargain. Davies will serve concurrent sentences for crimes committed in Missouri and Kentucky, where he was earlier convicted of molesting children at three Kentucky Baptist churches.
The Missouri investigation began in July 2005 when a boy came forward with charges of sexual molestation.
None of the victims were present at the sentencing. Davies reportedly apologized to some of the victims’ parents who were in the courtroom.