A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Friday to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing four girls ages 4 to 13, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Shawn Essex, 53, pleaded guilty to three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14 and one count of lewd acts with a child under the age of 14. The District Attorney’s Office said Essex also admitted to using a position of trust in committing the crimes, a charge that carries a special sentence enhancement.
In his guilty plea, Essex, a 22-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, also acknowledged that one of the victims was “particularly vulnerable,” according to a release from the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors did not provide further details about the circumstances.
The former deputy sheriff was convicted of sexually abusing one of the victims in 2006, then abused three more girls between 2013 and 2022 before being arrested in April of that year. At the time, he was assigned to the police training bureau.
As well as spending decades in prison, Essex will also have to pay restitution to his victims and register as a sex offender – the amount he will have to pay is yet to be decided in court.
“The horrific sexual abuse that Mr. Essex inflicted on these young victims not only violated his oath as a law enforcement officer to protect and serve his community, but also left these children with lifelong trauma,” Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release from his office.
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