KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A Florida man is facing criminal sexual conduct charges after he allegedly assaulted multiple minors in Kent County.
Shannon Guay, 49, was arrested Wednesday by detectives with the Kent County Sheriff's Office and Charlotte County Sheriff's Office in Punta Gorda, Florida.
The investigation first began in March when a business in Plainfield Township received voicemails claiming that minors had been assaulted at that location or by a previous employee.
Guay is accused of sexually assaulting five minors in three different locations in Kent County, some of which detectives say occurred at Aerials & Baranis Gymnastics, between the years of 2006 and 2008. Guay worked at the business as a coach during that time.
"They can slide under the radar," said Chris Becker, Kent County Prosecutor. "This isn't the only case, locally and nationally, where an individual can be charged after multiple years."
Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young said she admires the courage it took for these young women to come forward.
"There's a variety of reasons that victims of criminal sexual conduct are inclined not to come forward especially when there's a minor involved," said LaJoye-Young. "It takes quite a bit of guts to come forward and say this happening to me and being exposed to scrutiny and reliving some occurrences that may have happened."
Attorney Jamie White of Lansing-based White Law Firm represented 100 victims in the Larry Nassar case. He says there's another important piece of this investigation.
"During the course of the investigation, I suspect law enforcement will be looking at, could this have been stopped?" said White. "Was there notice provided to individuals along the way whether that's previous gym owners or other people in the community."
Guay left Kent County in 2010, but has since lived in California, Texas, Florida, and Washington.
The sheriff's office is reaching out to those other states to see if there are any cases involving Guay there.
He is awaiting extradition in Florida. He is charged with six counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 1st degree and seven counts of Criminal Sexual Conduct 2nd degree.
This case remains under investigation. Detectives say there may be others who know information about these incidents. If you have any information, contact the Kent County Sheriff's Office.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, there are resources available. Reach out to the YWCA 24-Hour Confidential Helpline at 616-454-YWCA (616-454-9922) or the Children’s Advocacy Center of Kent Country at 616-336-5160.
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