Tyler

EDITOR’S NOTE: It is the policy of the Tyler Morning Telegraph to not identify victims of sexual abuse to protect their identities and encourage reporting of such crimes.

By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer

It took a Smith County jury four minutes of deliberation today to find Shauntel Mayo guilty on three felony counts for forcing three young siblings and their underage aunt to perform sex acts for an audience at the “ Mineola Swingers’ Club.” The jury deliberated for only six minutes to sentence her to life in prison.

The 29-year-old Tyler woman received the life sentence and a $10,000 fine for engaging in organized criminal activity — forcing two young siblings to have sex with each other for profit. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine each on two convictions of sexual per-formance of a child — inducing the two children to engage in sexual conduct or performance.

Judge Jack Skeen Jr., of the 241st District Court, ordered that the sentences be stacked so Ms. Mayo will have to serve one-fourth of her sentences, or 25 years, before she is eligible for parole.

Several people gave victim impact statements, including the four victims in the case and their foster parents. Six of the 12 jurors returned to the courtroom after being released to hear their statements.

The victims — three siblings, a 10-year-old girl, a 9-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl — and their 9-year-old aunt all testified about how Ms. Mayo and other defen-dants in the case taught them beginning at age 5 how to dance and perform sex acts in “kindergarten,” then forced them to dance and have sex with each other in front of an audience. The defen-dants collected money for the performances but paid the children with food. The children were also given “silly pills” or drugs before they danced in the club.

In November 2004, Child Protective Services began investigating allegations of neglect and drug abuse. What it discovered was children suffering ongoing sexual abuse and exploitation.

Defendants in the case include Ms. Mayo and her boyfriend Jamie Pittman, 36, Dennis Boyd Pittman, and Patrick "Booger Red" Kelly, 41, all of Tyler; Shelia Darlene Sones, 48, Mineola; and Jimmy Dale Sones, 33, Brownsboro.
Ms. Mayo has four additional felony charges pending against her for her involvement in the sex ring case.

Assistant Smith County district attorneys Joe Murphy and Aaron Rediker prosecuted the case while attorney Rex Thompson represented Ms. Mayo.

Updated Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 4:35 p.m. CDT

Shauntel Mayo, one of the defendants in the so called Mineola Swingers Club sits impassively in Judge's Jack Skeen Jr. 241st District Court on Tuesday.
(Staff photo by Jaime R. Carrero)