LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Legal Newsline) - A former teacher's aide accused in civil court of sexually assaulting three young children is pleading guilty to criminal charges.
The U.S. government filed its plea agreement with Augustus Shenker on Dec. 27 in Little Rock federal court. It says Shenker will plead guilty to production of child pornography, and Judge Lee Rudofsky will determine his prison sentence and restitution to victims.
The plea agreement says the crime to which Shenker is admitting guilt carries a sentence of 15 to 30 years. Shenker worked at the school for four years until federal charges were filed that accused him of filming pornographic videos with two young girls with his phone.
Three civil lawsuits followed - one on behalf of a boy allegedly sexually assaulted in 2021 while in a pre-kindergarten class for 4-year-olds.
The cases also name Miss Selma's Schools and its owner as defendants. The other two lawsuits are filed on behalf of girls in the 4-year-old class in 2020-21.
Shenker's lawyers wanted to claim he suffered a stroke before he was born, which left him with brain damage and physical disabilities. A motion for continuance of the criminal trial earlier this year asked for more time to find a neurologist.
"(I)n addition to the sexual abuse, Defendant Shenker filmed the abuse and has distributed such images to third parties in violation of state and federal law," the boy's lawsuit says.
"...Shenker's abuse of John Doe occurred during the working hours and was perpetrated against him, and other children, who were under the care, custody and control of Defendants..."
Shenker must allocute as a condition of the plea agreement.