Man Receives 10-year Prison Sentence for Having Sex with 14-year-old

By Trish Mehaffey, Reporter

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Jul 11, 2012 at 4:54 PM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 11, 2012 at 4:54 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A 35-year-old Marion man was sentenced in Linn County District Court last week to 10 years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, who he pursued through Facebook.

Shawn Wilkerson pleaded guilty to third-degree sexual abuse in June year-old girl in June. He was sentenced last Thursday and the conviction requires him to be on lifetime parole and listed on the sex offender registry.

He met the girl through friends and then pursued her on Facebook, asking for naked pictures of her and then eventually picking her up after school and having a sexual relationship with her, First Assistant Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said.

Maybanks asked for the prison term based on Wilkerson’s pursuit of the girl and the ongoing relationship which started last July and continued through November 2011.

The defense asked the court for a deferred judgment.