It was quick work for sure.
Detectives from the Bemont County Sheriff’s Office arrested Bellaire resident Shawn Valloric at Bellaire High School in the late afternoon last Thursday, handcuffing the 49-year-old only a few hours after they were provided a “tip” by agents with the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Cleveland.
The longtime teacher and coach at Bellaire High School has been incarcerated in the Belmont County Jail since and has been charged with 10 counts of Pandering Obscenity involving a minor. He is scheduled for his initial appearance at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Belmont County Common Pleas Court, according to Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan.
The Ohio Revised Code defines the crime as “the illegal creation, publication, promotion, or possession of obscene material or performances depicting a minor engaged in sexual acts or lewd exhibitions. This felony applies if the material portrays a person under 18.”
Bellaire Local Schools Superintendent Derrick McAfee told local media that immediate steps were taken to suspend Valloric pending the results of the investigation and case.
“The safety of our students, staff, and community remains our highest priority,” Superintendent McAfee said in the statement. “We continue to work diligently to provide a safe environment where our students can learn and grow.”
Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack was aware of the information received from the Crimes Against Children Task Force, and he was impressed with his detectives’ swift work.
“I’m not sure at this time how long the Task Force investigation was, but I do know our detectives received the information in the morning and, after they did the work they needed to do with the information, they were prepared to make the arrest in the afternoon, so that’s what they did late Thursday afternoon,” Zusack said. “We have a spectacular Detectives Division, and I can’t praise them enough for the great work that they do every day. This case is no different either.
“When an agency like the (Crimes Against Children Task Force) task force shares information like they did with us in this case last week, bad people go to jail. That’s always our goal – putting the bad people in jail,” the sheriff insisted. “Our job is to take care of the people of Belmont County, so when we know someone out there is harming people, we do our best to get them off the streets as soon as possible.”
Cop to Cop Cooperation
He won’t explain any of the details received from the crimes-against-kids unit, but Sheriff Zusack knew action needed to be taken.
Quickly.
“At this time, I can’t get into the information that we received from the Task Force, but I can say that the information did confirm that it was appropriate for the arrest to take place when it did,” he said. “I got to look at the tip that was received, and when I did, it reminded me about how happy I am that we have relationships with so many agencies. It’s important cooperation.
“The arrest was made at the school because that’s where our investigator knew he was at the time, but there was also a search warrant for the residence,” Zusack confirmed. “Once he was arrested, he was booked on the (10) charges after the home and the school were targets for our detectives in the investigation.”
Valloric was assigned Jail ID #200021854 after he was transported to the Belmont County Jail.
“There’s really no particular reason why he was taken into custody at the school, or when it all happened. It was all about receiving the information and our investigators doing their due diligence,” Zusack explained. “Once that was completed, we made the arrest as soon as we could. That’s how we operated to make sure we are protecting our residents.
“In this case, the decision was made to go to the (Bellaire) high school, make contact with the suspect and ask some questions,” he said. “In this case, our investigators asked their questions, and then the suspect was taken to a (private) area and then was placed in handcuffs. After that, the male was transported to the Belmont County Jail by our investigators, and that’s where he remains today.”
Pure Shock
When allegations like what are levied now against the Bellaire educator, a community experiences unexpected shock, and Sheriff Zusack has seen the outrage communicated on social media.
“Based on what I’ve seen on those internet platforms, I’d say people are in shock that this all happened, and while I understand that, our duty outweighs how people might feel about the arrest or about the individual we’ve arrested – especially when it comes to the safety of our citizens,” Sheriff Zusack said. “It’s just going to take some time for people to wrap their heads around it, and I know there are a lot of angry people right now.
“It’s an ongoing investigation,” he said. “But, if someone makes mistakes and we find out about them, we do what we do because there’s a price to pay for every mistake.”
Sheriff Zusack strongly encourages anyone with any information concerning this case to contact the Detective’s Division at 740-695-9662.
“This investigation is ongoing, and if there is anyone out there who has more information about this case, we encourage them to contact us to let us know what they know,” Zusack said. “When people come forward and share what they know, it helps us solidify everything and, in some cases, connect other individuals to the case or to something similar. That’s how his works.
“When we received this information, we acted on it because that’s our job,” he said. “Our job is to protect the people of Belmont County, so if you know something more, please come forward so we can do what we do best.”
