By MONA MOORE

and VAIL STEWART RUMLEY

Washington Daily News

 

A Beaufort County jury on Wednesday morning found Shawn Carlos Godley guilty of taking indecent liberties with a minor, but not guilty on other charges.

He was sentenced to a minimum of 84 months and a maximum of 110 months in prison for that conviction. He was acquitted of five other related charges.

Godley was charged with three counts of first-degree rape of a child and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child, charges stemming from an alleged series of incidents the victim said occurred between June and August 2011.

At that time, Godley was 28 years old and the victim was either 11 or 12, depending on the dates of the incidents.

Godley’s defense attorney, Marc Haggard, said Godley maintained his innocence from the first.

At Wednesday’s trial, Godley addressed the court before his sentence.

“I swear to God I didn’t do this, your Honor. I’ve got kids of my own, your Honor. I ain’t no bad guy or nothing, your Honor. Please find it in your heart, your Honor,” he said.

Haggard argued that the prosecution’s evidence was limited to one person’s account — and that account seemed to change in accordance with whomever the victim was speaking with.

Assistant District Attorney Chad Stoop responded that the victim’s account of the events was understandably disjointed considering the girl’s age during her testimony on the stand and, more importantly, her age when the alleged crimes occurred.

Godley was previously charged with felony possession with intent to sell cocaine. A plea agreement of 58 to 77 months in prison was reached, but sentencing in that case was postponed pending the results of the sex-crime cases.

Because Godley was found guilty of an additional felony, Stoop asked that he be sentenced as a habitual felon in both cases.

Godley was given the option of pleading guilty to being a habitual felon or a trial by jury in the drug case. Under advisement of his lawyer, he pleaded guilty.

The court ordered Godley to serve 58 to 77 months in prison on the felony possession charge and pay court costs, legal fees and $1,800 in restitution. Godley’s sentence in the indecent-liberties case will be served when his sentence in the drug cases ends.