SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, March 30, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Olympic gold medalist Jim Shea has been charged with sexual abuse of a child.
Shea, 52 and a resident of Snyderville, faces a single count of the crime, which is a second-degree felony.
A probable cause statement says a detective for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Children’s Justice Center to interview a pre-teen girl who told her school counselor she had been sexually abused by Shea.
“During the CJC interview the child said … Shea had patted her on the butt some time last year and it made her feel uncomfortable.”
The child said two other incidents had occurred, one when Shea “kept smacking her butt” and a second when she said Shea rubbed her back under her clothing, then allegedly touched one of her breasts.
Shea, contacted by the SCSO detective, said he had never touched the child under her clothing. Shea was taken into custody and booked on the single charge, and since has been released pending court proceedings, with conditions including not contacting the child.
An attorney representing Shea has said his client did not commit a crime, and the charge is completely unfounded, according to a report in the Park Record.
Shea’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 5.
Shea won a gold medal as a skeleton racer in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
