KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A former Kent County gymnastics coach accused of sexually assaulting at least a dozen young children between 1990 and 2012 was found guilty.
Shannon Guay, 50, was arrested in Florida in May of 2023 following allegations stemming from a business in Plainfield Township claiming that minors had been assaulted at that location or by a previous employee.
He was extradited from Florida to Michigan and was booked into the Kent County Jail.
The case began with five allegations of sexual abuse, but quickly ballooned to over a dozen children in multiple states who said Guay assaulted them.
He was found guilty of 22 of the 23 counts on Friday. The one charge he was found not guilty of is kidnapping.
"I am tremendously pleased with the verdict," said Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. "Assistant Prosecutor Elizabeth Bartlett and Detective Anna Birkland put a ton of work into this case."
During the trial last week, the prosecution called several witnesses to the stand who had contact with Guay when they were teenagers. Two of those witnesses were friends.
The first witness said she had met Guay when she was 13, and that Guay used the alias of Jake when they met.
The witness alleged that Guay had befriended her at a gym's rock climbing wall when she was just learning to climb. She testified that Guay mentored her in rock climbing and became close with her over a short period of time.
The witness alleged that Guay was grooming her during their time together by gaining her trust. She also admitted to having a "school girl crush" on Guay at the time.
She testified that while she believed that Guay was grooming her, she was not sexually assaulted by Guay. She did allege that she had been touched by him on the thigh and butt while rock climbing.
A second witness also testified. She alleged Guay did sexually assault her. The second witness was friends with the first and met Guay (Jake) at the same rock climbing facility.
This second witness said she had an inappropriate relationship with him when she was between the ages of 14 and 16.
She alleged that Guay had groomed her from being friends, to holding hands, to asking her to be his girlfriend.
She also alleged that Guay would show her "fine art books" with pictures of partially clothed children at bookstores in an attempt to normalize the idea of child nudity. She also testified that he would tell her that they couldn't have sex because that was bad, but other things like touching were fine.
The second witness also alleged that Guay assaulted her on several occasions in public places, as well as requesting that she touch him.
Back in June, four others testified. Some say they were as young as six when the sexual assault began.
One survivor was doing gymnastics at the former Aerials and Baranis on Coit Avenue when she met Guay.
"I remember a situation where he was standing behind me at one point and had reached in front of me. He grabbed my crotch. I don't remember what exactly happened after that, but I do remember telling him 'no,' and him getting upset with me and grabbing me by my shoulders and telling me it was okay because he loved me. He was upset because I wouldn't tell him I loved him back," the survivor said in court.
Three other survivors, who are all sisters, testified Guay sexually abused them while they were visiting their older sister's apartment and at their mother's home. Their older sister was dating Guay (Jake) at the time.
"I ended up in the middle of the bed and Jake would touch me underneath my underwear," said one.
Guay is also accused to have inappropriately touched girls in the locker room and at area movie theatres during the time he was working as a taekwondo instructor. Another survivor mentioned he took inappropriate pictures of her in the shower while they were home alone.
"I am so happy for them that the jury listened to the evidence and held this man accountable for his truly horrible activities that impacted so many women," said Becker.
A sentencing date has yet to be announced.
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