Fiancé of Social Worker Accused of Having Sex With 13-Year-Old Was Previously Jailed for Child Endangerment

The former social worker accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy was engaged to a man who had previously been accused of sexual assault and imprisoned for endangering children, court documents reveal.

Payton Shires, 24, was charged with having sexual contact with a minor after the teenager’s mother discovered text messages that she believed indicated "something inappropriate was happening,” between Shires and the boy she was counseling.

Police allegedly discovered videos of Shires having sex with the minor, on the teenager’s phone. Shires later allegedly went to the boy’s home with a gun, threatening to kill herself and blaming the boy’s family for “ruining her life.”

Shire has a child with her fiancé 27-year-old plumber Nicholas Rafter, according to the Daily Mail. Rafter was jailed for nearly five years after being convicted of two counts of burglary and one count of child endangerment –  he was released in 2017.

Rafter was accused of drugging and then assaulting a 14-year-old girl, as a 19-year-old. He was charged with rape, sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. The charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to child endangerment, according to the Daily Mail. 

Prior to her arrest, Shires shared a post on social media that advocated for executing pedophiles.

One neighbor told the Daily Mail that “everyone” was aware of Rafter’s prior convictions.

“Her posts about pedophiles raised a few eyebrows too given that her partner was accused of being one too,” the neighbor said. “If he is supporting her he is an idiot”