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Shannon Guay, a former Kent County gymnastics coach, has been found guilty of sexually abusing several young children, ABC affiliate channel 13 (WZZM) reported.
Guay, who is set to be sentenced later this week, was arrested in Florida in May 2023 after allegations surfaced involving a Plainfield Township business. The claims involved the abuse of minors, either at the business or by a former employee.
Accused of sexually assaulting at least a dozen minors between 1990 and 2012, Guay was extradited from Florida to Michigan last year and booked into Kent County jail.
In April, Guay was found guilty on 22 of 23 counts. His case began with allegations of sexual abuse of five different minors. Other young children spanning several states then came forward with similar allegations.
At the trial, the prosecution presented several witnesses who had interactions with Guay as teenagers, including two friends. The first witness met Guay at age 13, knowing him by the alias “Jake.” She described how he befriended her at a gym’s rock climbing wall, where he mentored her and quickly formed a close bond. The witness claimed Guay groomed her by earning her trust and admitted she had a “schoolgirl crush” on him during that time.
The witness testified that although she suspected Guay was grooming her, she did not experience sexual assault. However, she did claim that he touched her on the thigh and buttocks during rock climbing.
A second witness, who was friends with the first, also took the stand. She accused Guay of sexually assaulting her after they met at the same rock climbing facility where he went by the name “Jake.”
The second witness reported being involved in an inappropriate relationship with Guay when she was between the ages of 14 and 16.
The second witness claimed that Guay groomed her by gradually escalating their relationship from friendship to holding hands and eventually asking her to be his girlfriend. She also alleged that he would show her “fine art books” with pictures of partially naked children at bookstores to normalize the idea of child nudity. Guay told the witness that while sex was off-limits, other physical contact was acceptable.
The second witness also alleged that Guay assaulted her on several occasions in public places. She also claimed that Guay wanted her to touch him.
In June 2023, four other survivors testified. Some say they were as young as 6 when Guay began sexually abusing them.
