Link: Tim Sheldon convicted in Rhode Island

You can contest many things in life, but you cannot contest the truth when it's presented by Perverted-Justice.com. That is the reality for Rhode Island resident Tim Sheldon today, as he entered a \"no contest\" plea to one count of indecently soliciting a child. Sheldon will face five years probation, surrender his state teaching certificate, complete sex offender counseling and be registered as a convicted sex offender. Lastly, he will be prohibited from holding future jobs that involve any contact with children.

Sheldon was the vice-principal of Bishop Hendrickson High School for many years. He was additionally in charge of punishment for the children at the all-boy school. Sheldon solicited contributor \"Don Pedro\" who was posing as a 14 year old male. Sheldon was posted on the website, moved to ditch his hard drive... however Rhode Island police decided to charge him anyways, as the material we provided them was more than enough to prove Sheldon's guilt beyond any doubts.

Sheldon filed a hearing to have the charges thrown out, was denied and then pled no-contest. This case is the very first case of this kind in Rhode Island, taking advantage of a new law that was only recently passed in 2004. We are proud to be involved in the first case under this law in that state and even prouder that the materials furnished led to his conviction.

Sheldon's attitude after being posted was reprehensible. Immediately seeking help from pro-pedophile organizations against us, Sheldon decided to fight the charges and evidence against him. Those efforts were, as they usually are, fruitless.

We would as always, like to thank the hard working detectives and DA's who carried this case to fruition. Their intelligence spurred them to look at the evidence we collected and to move on that evidence. When Sheldon had hid his Hard Drive, they didn't say \"Well, that's all\", they pressed forward with the evidence at hand. Evidence that was enough to survive the protestations of Sheldon's criminal defense.

The following is from the contributor, Don Pedro:
First off, I can't say enough great things about the law enforcement that worked on this case. Their belief in Perverted-Justice and their hard work and ground-breaking application of the laws should make the people of Rhode Island proud. They are truly dedicated to eradicating the Internet of filth such as Mr. Sheldon. Also, a great precedent has been set for the brand-new Rhode Island law used to prosecute Mr. Sheldon. There is now no question, what Mr. Sheldon did that day IS in fact ILLEGAL

After he was posted on the site, I received many e-mails thanking me for exposing Mr. Sheldon for who he really was. Many were amazed that it was someone that they knew! A couple doubted that the chat was real, or that I had somehow \"set him up.\" I didn't know who Mr. Sheldon was before I busted him, he was just another pervert trying to meet my underage persona for sex. It doesn't matter if the person is a well-known Vice Principal, a McDonald's employee, or a famous actor, if they try to meet an underage kid for sex while talking to a member of Perverted-Justice, they will be posted.

Although jail time would have been a fitting punishment, I am greatly pleased at the punishment that Mr. Sheldon received. It is a great relief to know that he will never hold a job around children ever again. Having to register as a sex offender will make sure that current and future neighbors will know of Mr. Sheldon's tendencies. Best of all, he will be enrolled in sex offender counseling. Hopefully through the counseling he will be able to identify his problems and take the steps necessary to rid himself of any urges to commit illegal sexual acts with children in his future.

The verifier on this chat-log recollected a line she says still haunts her. During the conversation with Sheldon, he tried to assuage what he thought was a 14 year old male by saying \"See, I'm not such a creepy guy.\"

Yes, you are. Now work with your counselor so your statement may, one day, be true.