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Man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for attempting to meet minor for sex

James Martin Shearer, 48, found guilty of attempted coercion, enticement of a minor, attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor

James Martin Shearer booking photo. (Copyright 2024 by Bexar County Jail - All rights reserved.)

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after he attempted to meet with a minor for sex, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

James Martin Shearer, 48, contacted a social media user who was pretending to be a 15-year-old girl, court records show.

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Shearer requested the minor’s home address and a photo of her. He also told the girl he wanted to take her in his car, federal officials said.

He continued communicating with the girl, asking when they could meet.

The two agreed that the girl would skip school the next day.

Then, Shearer turned the conversation in a sexual direction and told the girl that her age excited him, court records said.

On the day of the meet-up, Shearer sent the girl an image of himself and arrived at the planned location.

Instead of meeting the girl, Shearer was arrested by San Antonio police officers.

When officers searched through Shearer’s vehicle, they found methamphetamine and sexual paraphernalia.

Shearer was found guilty by a federal jury on March 5 of one count of attempted coercion, enticement of a minor, and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, court documents said.

In addition to the 15-year prison sentence, Shearer was ordered 10 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.


About the Author
Spencer Heath headshot

Spencer Heath is a Digital Journalist at KSAT. Spencer graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied Radio-Television-Film. He’s worked as a journalist in San Antonio since June of 2022. Outside the newsroom, he enjoys watching movies and spending time with family.

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