McKean County man convicted of sexually assaulting child in his care
A jury on Sept. 24, 2026, convicted Rew resident Shawn Prentiss Sr. of sexually assaulting a child he was babysitting between 2017 and 2018.
District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer said a jury at the McKean County Courthouse found Shawn Prentiss Sr. guilty of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (victim under 13), Attempted Rape of a Child (victim under 13), Indecent Assault of a Child (Misdemeanor 1) and Harassment after testimony that the offenses occurred while he was babysitting the juvenile between Jan. 1, 2017 and Dec. 31, 2018. The DA’s Office will seek enhanced penalties based on the victim’s age and the nature of the contact; the judge also increased Prentiss’s bail at the prosecutor’s request. Prentiss must be evaluated by the Sexual Offenders’ Assessment Board before sentencing, which will be set after the Board’s 90-day evaluation; authorities urge anyone who suspects child abuse to call 911 and ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.