2-16-2007

It was a tense day at the Clark County Courthouse. Shayne Shults, a former paramedic, was set to be sentenced for sexually assaulting five teen girls. Sentencings are normally an emotional experience, particularly when young victims are involved. On one side, family of the defendant must watch their loved one walk away to a life behind bars. Conversely, the victims must face the wrong-doer and hope that justice is done.

With Shane Shults, things are even more complicated ... because several of his victims are his cousins.

I had a feeling I was walking in to a different environment when I got in line to be screened by security. A man in in front of me asked what story I was covering. When I told him, he responded "oh great" and rolled his eyes. I've never gotten THAT response before.

Sentencing hearings aren't normally well attended. Occasionally you'll have family and friends, but before this case I'd only seen about ten audience members. For Shane Shults, there were close to 100. And a clear line was drawn through the hallway outside the courtroom.

Over the course of the trial the family was literally ripped in half. People supporting the victims were seen as traitors to Shults and vice versa. Also, many members of the family felt the media had not represented Shults fairly. Those members provided yours truly with plenty of dirty looks and the occasional insult as I walked by. (Please bear in mind, this was to be the first story I personally filed on the case).

Several deputies were on hand to keep calm as family members occasionally yelled at one another or tried to shout their support to Shults (speaking to someone in custody is a big no-no). My media colleagues tell me there was a scuffle before I arrived on scene.

Both sides alternated between heated anger and anguished grief. Throughout the proceedings, witnesses talked about how close they had been before the allegations of sexual abuse came up and how ugly things were now within the family. Everything from insults to death threats had apparently been exchanged.

When Shults was finally sent away with a sentence of 14 years, family members stormed out of the court room, slamming doors and shouting.

Deputies divided the room in half and sent supporters of Shults out first. Once the hallway cleared, supporters of the victims were released. The media, myself included, were ushered out a back door, down a separate staircase and escorted to our vehicles by deputies.

Shults will be in his 50's when he is released . His two children will be in their late teens.