Former JAG gets 12 years
POOL PHOTO BY ELAINE LITHERLAND
Shawn Gray, a former JAG officer arrested in one of Sarasota County's "Operation Intercept" sexual predator stings last year, pauses before speaking to 12th Circuit Judge Charles Roberts about his sexual history during a sentencing hearing Tuesday.
POOL PHOTO BY ELAINE LITHERLAND
Former JAG officer Shawn Gray enters his sentencing hearing Tuesday at the Sarasota County Justice Center.
SARASOTA COUNTY — It was a mix of personal history, a message to his parents and a plea to the court — an hour of confession by convicted child sex offender Shawn Connelly Gray. The former JAG officer stood before 12th Circuit Judge Charles Roberts Tuesday at the Sarasota County Justice Center and asked for forgiveness, saying that he had already suffered enough, his life has been destroyed by the decisions he made.
Roberts, taking much of the story into consideration, sentenced Gray to 12 years in prison anyway, calling his crimes “extremely egregious.” Gray, who showed emotion and regret during his statement, barely emoted as Roberts handed down his sentence and he was led out of court by bailiffs.