U.S. Army Sgt. charged with 30 felonies for alleged online sexual relationship with 15-year-old
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah () — A U.S. Army Sergeant has been charged with dozens of felonies after investigators discovered his alleged relationship with a 15-year-old from Utah.
Tomas Richard Shipman, 27, has been charged with 30 felonies. He is facing 20 charges of sexual exploitation of a minor, 10 charges of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, and one charge of enticing a minor.
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According to the arresting statement prepared by the Beaver County Sheriff's Office, Shipman is employed as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army and stationed in Washington state. Officers believe he is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and is living there at this time.
Officers with the Beaver County Sheriff's Office began investigating Shipman after a 15-year-old girl confessed to her parents that she was involved in an online relationship with a 27-year-old man. Her parents turned over the teen's electronic devices to the sheriff's office to perform an investigation.
One of the devices, an iPod, was given to the 15-year-old by a friend. Officers spoke with the friend, and he stated that he gave her the device to help her contact her 'boyfriend.' The friend only knew that boyfriend by the name 'Quade,' and believed that he lived in Beaver County.
The friend was able to provide the sheriff's office with Shipman's cellphone number. The 15-year-old's parents found a different number in her phone records that they believed belonged to Shipman.
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After obtaining search warrants, investigators discovered an app called 'TextMe' on a Kindle Fire device that belonged to the 15-year-old. They discovered conversations between her and a phone number that matched the one her friend said belonged to 'Quade.'
The 15-year-old told an officer that she and Shipman had been in communication since July 7, 2024. According to documents, she said that he was aware she was 15, and that they had exchanged inappropriate photos.
Throughout the conversations on 'TextMe' and Snapchat, police discovered 'expressions of love and endearment' between the two. Shipman sent messages that were extremely graphic and sexual in nature to the 15-year-old girl.
Sheriff's officials said that some of the most alarming discoveries were messages where Shipman was finding routes from his home in Washington to where the 15-year-old lived in Utah. Officers said he had begun exhibiting stalking-like behavior in these conversations.
A proposed arrest warrant has been filed for Shipman, who is believed to be near Tacoma, Washington, at this time.
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U.S. Army Sgt. charged with 30 felonies for alleged online sexual relationship with 15-year-old
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