A 64-year-old Kissimmee man who spent years mentoring local teenagers was convicted this week of molesting a boy who was 15 years old at the time, and investigators now say he had contact with more than 150 juveniles before his arrest — a number large enough that the Osceola County Sheriff's Office is publicly appealing for any other victims to come forward.
Scott Arthur Shaw was found guilty on Wednesday of eight counts stemming from crimes that occurred between June 2022 and June 2023, according to the Osceola News Gazette. A breakdown of the verdict reported by Orlando-News.com shows the jury convicted Shaw on two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation, two counts of lewd and lascivious touching of certain minors, one count of lewd and lascivious battery, one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and one count of showing obscene material to a minor. Shaw, whose date of birth is listed as January 15, 1962, was booked into the Osceola County Jail without bond following the verdict.
According to the News Gazette's reporting, Shaw used his standing in the community and relationships with prominent local figures to gain trust and legitimacy while mentoring youth. Investigators found that pattern was central to how he operated: the Osceola County Sheriff's Office told the outlet Shaw's behavior was consistent with the circumstances that gave him access to his victim.
A Pattern of Targeting Vulnerable Families
The News Gazette reports Shaw provided financial, emotional, and family support to the juveniles he mentored — support that, per a statement relayed by Positively Osceola, sheriff's investigators say he used deliberately to target juveniles facing family difficulties. By offering money, guidance, and emotional support, investigators said, Shaw built the kind of trust with struggling families that let him get close to vulnerable kids before exploiting them.
That reach was extensive. Shaw testified that he had mentored and had access to over 150 juveniles before his arrest, the News Gazette reported — a figure that helps explain why the sheriff's office isn't treating this case as closed with a single conviction.
Sheriff's Office Now Wants to Hear From Others
Sheriff's investigators are asking anyone who was targeted, contacted, or harmed by Shaw in the past to come forward, according to the News Gazette. Anyone with information can reach investigators at 407-348-2222. The case dates back to a felony warrant the Osceola County Sheriff's Office first obtained on July 15, 2023, charging Shaw with sexual battery, lewd molestation, touching, and showing obscene material — charges he was released on bond to await trial for, remaining out of custody for roughly three years until his conviction this week, per Orlando-News.com.
What Shaw Faces at Sentencing
Shaw is scheduled for sentencing on September 30. Under Florida Statute § 800.04, lewd and lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious battery committed by an adult against a victim aged 12 to 15 are second-degree felonies, each carrying up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to Hanlon Law. His remaining counts — lewd and lascivious touching of a minor and showing obscene material to a minor — are third-degree felonies under Florida Statutes § 800.04 and § 847.0133, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine per count, per the Pumphrey Law Firm. Florida law also mandates that anyone convicted under § 800.04 for lewd or lascivious battery or molestation register for life on the state's sexual offender registry, according to Hanlon Law.
Part of a Broader Local Crackdown
Shaw's case adds to a string of recent Osceola County cases involving adults in positions of trust accused of targeting minors. In May, deputies arrested a former Liberty High campus monitor on charges including attempted sexual battery involving a minor, following complaints of inappropriate communications with students. And in June, the sheriff's office joined the U.S. Marshals Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a month-long operation that resulted in 126 arrests for felony sex offender registration violations across the county.
Whether other victims will come forward, and whether formal youth organizations or community institutions played any role in Shaw's access to minors, remain open questions the sheriff's office has not yet answered publicly. For now, investigators say their focus is on hearing from anyone Shaw may have targeted, contacted, or harmed in the past.
