92-Year-Old Sentenced in Shawnee Church Abuse Case
- mike33692
- Mar 17
- 1 min read
92-Year-Old Sentenced in Shawnee Church Abuse Case
A 92-year-old man has been sentenced in the Shawnee church abuse case involving the sexual abuse of young girls.
Charles Sulivant received 25 years in prison after entering a blind guilty plea to two felony counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, according to the Pottawatomie County District Court.
Shawnee Church Abuse Case Details
In the Shawnee church abuse case, investigators say the abuse occurred at the Shawnee First Church of the Nazarene between 2008 and 2013 while Sulivant served as a church board member.
A judge ordered the two 25-year sentences to run concurrently.
Victims and their families were present in court, delivering impact statements describing the long-term trauma caused by the abuse.
Case Leads to Legal Changes
The Shawnee church abuse case also raised concerns about failures to report abuse.
Court records indicate allegations that church leadership may have known about the abuse years before law enforcement was notified.
The case contributed to changes in Oklahoma law, allowing criminal charges against individuals who fail to report child abuse until victims reach age 45, according to the Oklahoma State Courts Network and the Oklahoma State Legislature.
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