A former West Plains resident originally charged with statutory sodomy and first-degree sexual abuse stemming from alleged incidents nearly four decades ago has been sentenced to one year in the Howell County Jail after pleading guilty to misdemeanor second-degree sexual abuse.
Skyler J. Sheldon, 80, of Ozark, entered the plea May 1, avoiding a jury trial on one count of felony first-degree sexual abuse scheduled to begin May 5.
Additionally, Sheldon was ordered to pay $10 to the state Crime Victims Compensation Fund and must register as a sex offender. The sentence was handed down June 18 by 37th Circuit Judge Steven Privette. The case was prosecuted by Howell County Prosecutor Mike Hutchings and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Rizwan Ahad. Sheldon was represented by Springfield Attorney Scott Pierson.
In March 2024, Sheldon was charged with five felony counts of sodomy involving a child younger than 14 and one felony count of first-degree sexual abuse. However, the sodomy charges were dismissed because they fell outside the statute of limitations, according to court records.
A grand jury indictment shows the charges were based on alleged incidents of sexual touching between early March 1986 and early May 1988. The final incident allegedly occurred in 1989.
Sheldon was arrested March 15, 2024, in Christian County and released the same day after posting a $40,000 bond.
The investigation began in late January 2024 after a woman reported being abused by Sheldon between 1986 and 1989. She told law enforcement she had confronted him the month prior, and he reportedly apologized for the incidents.
Two more women came forward with similar allegations that they had been sexually assaulted at Sheldon's home multiple times during the same time period. The investigation was conducted by West Plains Detective Joe Neuschwander, who has since retired, with assistance from the Christian County Sheriff’s Office.
The first victim told police the abuse began when she was about 4 years old, occurring multiple times over a year or two. She added that Sheldon told her it was "their secret" and instructed her not to tell anyone.
Within six weeks, two more women came forward. One alleged assaults occurred when she was between 5 and 9 years old, while the other reported an incident when she was 12.
During an interview with Neuschwander, Sheldon reportedly admitted to the assaults and stated he lived in West Plains from 1977 to 1989. In his report, Neuschwander noted that Sheldon posed a safety risk to children and, at the time of the investigation, resided in close proximity to two public schools in Ozark.
