A former Delaware County bailiff who resigned amid allegations of coercing drug court defendants into sex is now charged with soliciting sex from a 15-year-old girl.
Reports say the mother of the girl worked at the courthouse with Kip Jerome Shotpouch, 33. In April 2016, the mother allegedly found a text message Shotpouch sent to her daughter offering to pick her up behind a health clinic and take her to his house for sex. He also reportedly sent the girl messages on Facebook asking her age--to which she replied she was only 15, asking if she was still a virgin, and offering her beer.
Before showing the messages to authorities, the mother confronted her co-worker, who apologized for his text messages and said he was drunk when he sent them. He promised the mother the messages would stop.
The woman told authorities that Shotpouch was a "family friend" who knew her daughter from the times she would bring her to the courthouse.
Around the same time Shotpouch was allegedly sending explicit text messages to a minor, he also came under investigation for allegations that he coerced women who were sentenced to drug court into having sex with him. He reportedly led them to believe that, through his position as bailiff, he could have drug court status revoked. He resigned in May 2016, but no charges have yet been filed as a result of that investigation.
In May of this year, Shotpouch was arrested for DUI, improper driving, and attempting to elude a police officer, all misdemeanors. On June 30, he was charged in Delaware County with a single count of lewd or indecent proposals to a child under 16.
Under Oklahoma law (21 O.S. § 1123) it is a felony to "knowingly and intentionally [m]ake any oral, written or electronically or computer-generated lewd or indecent proposal to any child under sixteen (16) years of age, or other individual the person believes to be a child under sixteen (16) years of age, for the child to have unlawful sexual relations or sexual intercourse with any person."
Lewd or indecent acts or proposals to a child under 16 is a Level 3 sex crime punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison and lifetime sex offender registration. If the child involved is under the age of 12, the act carries a minimum penalty of 25 years in prison.
If investigators ultimately find enough evidence that he coerced women in custody to have sex with him, he will likely face second degree rape charges. Second degree rape in Oklahoma is punishable by a maximum of 15 years in prison.
