A Stroud man has pleaded not guilty on four felonies and his cases have been set for the felony disposition docket.
Shamus Jack Palermo, 49, was formally charged in Lincoln County District Court on July 17, 2023 with two counts of first degree rape and one count of soliciting sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology.
He was formally charged Sep. 22, 2023 in Lincoln County District Court with possession of child pornography.
Appearing before District Judge John Canavan for his arraignment, Palermo pleaded not guilty to all four counts. Judge Canavan received the plea and set him for the felony disposition docket at 9 a.m. May 7.
Palermo made his initial appearance before Associate District Judge Sheila Kirk the same day he was charged and she ordered that he reappear on Oct. 12 with the pornography case to trail the other case in which he faces three felonies.
Judge Kirk set his bond at $100,000 with the stipulation that he have no contact with the victim as a condition of the bond.
In the pornography count, Palermo is accused on July 7 of possessing child pornography on his cell phone by possessing images of a child under 18 involving the lewd exhibition of the uncovered breasts and genitals of a female minor where the lewd exhibition was for the purpose of sexual stimulation to the viewer.
In a probable cause affidavit, it’s stated that on July 7, 2023, Stroud Police Chief Clint Gaylord and Capt. Jimmie Ahrend, after securing a search warrant from Special Judge Emily Mueller, met with Palermo where he is employed and advised him of the warrant and then the need to take him to his apartment and unlock the door so a search could be conducted.
The search warrant was conducted and a few minutes later Palermo was arrested by Gaylord and transported to the Lincoln County Jail by Officer Jonathan Kelley.
According to the affidavit, items seized included two cell phones, two computers, a camcorder, a note and photographs.
The same day, a judge signed two search warrants authorizing the search of the cell phones and Gaylord transported the phones to the OSBI for a forensic download.
According to the affidavit, he picked them up on July 19 with a thumb drive containing the downloads from both phones.
On July 14, Judge Kirk signed and authorized a search of both the victim’s Facebook account and that of Palermo’s.
In the case involving the other three felonies, Count 1 accuses Palermo between May 16, 2017 and May 15, 2019, of first degree rape of a minor between 11 and 13 years old at the time.
Count 2 charges him during the same time frame of a second first degree rape count with the same victim.
In count 3, he is charged during the same time period of engaging in communication for sexual interest with a minor by use of technology by sending messages through Facebook to the same victim.