Lavon S. Sellers and his lawyer Jacob Clark face the judge for Sellers’ sentencing hearing in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – A Texas man who engaged in an online sexual relationship with a Lewis County boy who initially said he was 16 will be off to prison to serve a five and a half year sentence.
Lavon S. Sellers and the teen met on a website called “Hot or Not” in the summer of 2014 and eventually the boy confessed he was only 14 years old, according to lawyers handling the case.
There’s no indication the two met, but they made a plan where Sellers would come to Washington and they would spend time in Seattle together, according to court documents and the boy’s mother.
“When Mr. Sellers found out he was 14, that’s when things should have stopped, and it didn’t,” defense attorney Jacob Clark said. “Mr. Sellers and this teen believed they loved each other.”
The boy attempted suicide after the relationship came to light and then he was caught Skyping with Sellers after being ordered by his father not to.
Sellers, now 32, was brought to the Lewis County at the beginning of last month and held on $100,000 bail.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of luring four weeks ago and yesterday was back in Lewis County Superior Court.
Under the plea deal, both sides agreed to recommend to the judge he get 66 months in prison.
“I know Mr. Sellers never meant to hurt anyone by these actions,” Clark told the judge. “He’s been a law abiding citizen all his life.”
The boy’s mother told the judge her son is about two years behind his peers, and has always been vulnerable and trusting. And now, the mother said, he’s a young boy with no spirit, no excitement for life, no self-esteem and remains confused by what Sellers taught him.
Lewis County Sirens.com is not naming the mother, to avoid identifying the victim.
Judge Nelson Hunt agreed with the sentence recommended by Clark and Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead.
“Well, it wasn’t the intention, but it did, it did hurt a whole lot of people,” Hunt said.
Sellers was ordered to have no contact with the boy, and to pay about $3,200 in fines and fees including the extradition costs.
Outside the courtroom, Clark said the people and businesses who make the sort of online applications where the two communicated are immune to prosecution, even though they are made accessible to both adults and children.
“That is the travesty,” Clark said.
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For background, read “Lewis County Sheriff’s Office arrests man in Dallas for long-distance sexploitation of local teen” from Sunday September 6, 2015, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
The DOC worker had sex with her victim and gets less than a month in jail. This guy never even touched his alleged victim. People cant you see it’s time to overthrow the Government. This is what are Guns are for. Not for hunting, there for killing the illegal Government officials. I will stand and fight for freedom. Will you lay you’re life down for America Too?
I have for some time now been trying to rationalise sentences between the US the UK, Spain, Italy, France and northern Europe. Take this type of offence as an example, where there is an age limit and it is variable. That I can find no common ground is probably par for the course, but slightly more worrying is that this sentence and others handed out recently do nothing to repatriate the offender. However, in the US they do guarantee the privately run prisons a regular turnover. Those two facts are very interesting. What they mean collectively , is that offenders will learn new tricks in prison, that’s something you don’t want, and at no point is the state attempting to re educate the offender, which would save a lot of money in the future.There is also one other imponderable particularly applicable to the US; If a man goes to jail for 66 months (five years ) for a crime where no contact has been made, what is the likelihood that at some point in the future , similar people will decide , ensuant upon any trouble, that it is safer to meet the kid and dispose of him or her out in self preservation. In some cases they might only expect to serve nine or ten years for murder.That is if they are caught which, once you’ve taken out the principal witness is less likely. I should say Gacy had something like the same rationale in mind.Dead men, or in this case children, tell no tales. You need to think ahead in these cases.
I grew up knowing the male who committed this crime. We were childhood friends that fell out of touch. I am devastated to hear this about him. I do fear that he will not survive in prison. I understand the sentencing. I have only recently learned that there may have been some troubles in this man’s childhood. I hope that by some miracle the young boy and his family can heal and I also hope and pray that Lavon will survive his sentence and be able to be helped. I am said because one of my childhood friends has become a sad statistic. May God bless and heal everyone involved in this tragedy.
Prison Corp. of America and US for-profit prisons gave a big thank-you to Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt, Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead, and Jacob Clark, Esq. for their faithful support in working closely with them to achieve the current goal of housing >25% of the world’s prisoners while having ~5% of the world’s population.
This is how our lovely just-us system creates criminals to stay profitable: Lavon S. Sellers needs mental health care and counseling more than anything else. What he’ll get is 66 months with real rapists, gangsters and killers where he will learn prison culture instead of being rehabilitated. If he survives, later when he is dumped back into the community, his welfare requirements and recidivism are virtually guaranteed.
Punishment yes, but harm reduction and rehabilitation are the proper goal. No police service or prison should ever be for-profit. No medical care or hospital stay should ever be for-profit, and all govt. privatization should be halted immediately, and disallowed. What we have now is wholesale crony capitalism, phantom accountability, upwardly mobile failures, and pervasive corruption.
I think we should leave the judgement and prosecution to the law. The guy stuffed up. I know him personally and it would never have been his intention to cause harm. While I’m not defending his actions, I think we need to remember who we are and how many times we have failed.
John 8:7
Sorry I call them.
One of the reasons people get away with exploiting children is not because parents are not monitoring or diligent enough, but because there are the unimaginable people who actually put into words in these situations that there are two sides to every story. Now if you are an 30 year old adult contemplating a sexual relationship with a minor child there is NO fucking side to your story !! I am old and fully aware that there are females who actually think this is ok and that there is two sides to every story. They are the big , fat greasy welfare Mamas that write to these guys in prison and send them money. They are the type of mother (and I use the word mother loosely) who pimp their kids out to these men and we have all seen how their fucking story ends . Sorry folks but I call he way I see them.
Not that I agree with a 30 something year old man talking to a 14 year old by no means, but if you state that your child is behind all of his peers and very vulnerable why aren’t you as the parents monitoring this in the first place?? Hopefully the adult will see that what he has done is wrong whether he felt they loved each other or not, but they also never met…. Actual rapist and murders get less time than this! There is also 2 sides to every story the boy was obviously willing he was on the site to begin with.
This is a case that absolutely breaks my heart. With the advancements in technology and all the good that it brings also opens the door for sick minded individuals to make their way into our home. I’m hoping that as a new parent myself that with all the technological advancements we have made, that there can be some safe guards put into these applications. I know we plan to be more proactive in monitoring the activities of our kids in hopes of keeping them at bay from scumbags such as this one.
Mom of Lewis County Child: we all know that a young teenage child can be easily manipulated and that he is the victim. I hope and pray that your child and family are able to heal from this.
The travesty is that this article does not even come close to telling the whole truth about what happened to my son and even in a way makes it look like he was a willing party. What a disgrace. I thank the comments above for the support as we need all we can get right now.
This freak deserves 10 years. All perverts need that or more. I’m speaking at a sentencing hearing in next month for a guy who has been molesting young teen girls for over 40 years. He’s already been to prison for it twice. They made a deal with him and are recommending just 22 months. I hope I can influence the judge to give more time, but not holding my breath.
Well said BobbyinLC, Anyone who’s intent is to have a sexual relationship with a child needs to be incarcerated. I personally don’t feel that the sentence was stiff enough. In my mind there is nothing anymore worse than a child molester or a rapist. However, Washington can and should make some tougher laws on sex offenders, and child preditors, and other crimes against children. I am glad this scumbag is off the streets.
Wow so the defense attorney think the travesty here is that there is a website where adults can connect with under age kids? I think it’s bad but the travesty here is that a 30 something guy continues to communicate with a kid he know sis underage. Enjoy prison scumbag!