NC man offered vapes in exchange for nude pictures from teen boys in Virginia, feds say
A North Carolina man is accused of offering vapes to teenage boys in exchange for sexually explicit pictures of themselves, according to the Department of Justice.
Jonathan Avery Shumate of Warrensville met two Virginia teens through social media applications Snapchat and Grindr, a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Virginia said. Using those apps, 53-year-old Shumate talked with the minors and asked for sexual photos and videos.
He was arrested on Jan. 24.
Soon after meeting the teens, Shumate established himself as a sort of supplier, according to the release.
“After communicating online for several weeks, Shumate offered to bring the teens vaping supplies, which they paid him for with cash,” it read.
One of the juveniles, a 16-year-old, said that, a few days before Thanksgiving break 2021, Shumate drove from North Carolina to their school in Virginia and gave them the vaping supplies while on campus, according to court documents.
A few days later, Shumate allegedly left vapes in the mailbox of the 16-year-old’s home while his parents were away, the complaint read.
Afterward, Shumate proposed a barter system. If they sent him nude pictures, he would continue to provide vaping supplies, according to the DoJ. He also “offered to provide oral sex for the juveniles,” the news release said.
In early December, school staff found a bag filled with vapes and vaping supplies inside a bag in a drainage ditch near the building, court documents said. They made the discovery “after seeing an adult male in a green Jeep in the area.”
Also in the bag was a receipt with the last four digits of the card used to purchase the items, the documents said.
“It was discovered that the adult male left the vaping supplies in the drainage ditch for the two juvenile male victims,” according to court documents, and school officials contacted police.
McClatchy reached out to Shumate’s attorney for comment.
Shumate has been charged with attempting to engage in sexually explicit conduct with a minor, the release said.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, and local law enforcement in North Carolina and Virginia, are investigating.
“We live in an online world where our children and teens are connected, virtually, to people all over the globe,” U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said in the release. “While online safety starts at home, when individuals seek to exploit our youth using the internet and its social media sites, it is the job of the Department of Justice to step in.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 5:04 PM with the headline "NC man offered vapes in exchange for nude pictures from teen boys in Virginia, feds say."