All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
(Polk County, Florida) – The pre-trial conference for former Riverton church youth group leader Richard Shaw has been set for April 9, according to Polk County Court documents filed on February 19.
Shaw was extradited to Polk County, Florida back in January after being charged with felony lewd molestation, for a reported incident that occurred in December of 2023.
At that time, a Polk County Sheriff’s Department (PCSO) press release stated that Shaw had visited Lakeland, FL, and when he returned to Wyoming a victim came forward and disclosed to her mother that Shaw had “inappropriately touched her underneath and over the top of her clothing while he was there.”
Shaw reportedly admitted to the victim’s mother that he touched the 12–year-old child, and later told PCSO detectives that he has “an addiction to pornography.”
Additional Court documents later reported that Shaw inappropriately touched the victim on two occasions during that visit.
At the start of the investigation when PCSO detectives notified the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) of the charge, the PCSO press release stated that the FCSO would “conduct their own investigation to determine if Shaw has victimized any children there with whom he is in contact.”
The FCSO was unavailable for comment the first time County 10 reached out to inquire about the local investigation, but Sheriff Ryan Lee recently shared the following:
“My office did open an investigation concerning any possible criminal activity that Richard Shaw may have been involved in here in Fremont County. That case remains open and therefore I have no further comment regarding an active investigation.”
There are currently no charges filed against Shaw in the local Clerk of Court’s digital record registry.
Shaw’s initial appearance hearing was held on January 28 in Florida, and he was later arraigned on February 13. The available Court documents did not indicate if a plea was made at that time.
Shaw’s pre-trial conference was set for April 9, at which point the case will be discussed at length and further hearings will be set for any potential sentencing.
County 10 will provide updates on Shaw’s case as they become available, which can be viewed here.