EXCLUSIVE: Nicholas Rafter, the fiancée of Ohio social worker Payton Shires, spent nine months in prison on child endangerment charges, years before she was accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy
The fiancée of an Ohio social worker accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy she was mentoring was previously jailed for child endangerment and charged with rape, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Nicholas Rafter, 27, spent nine months at Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio after being convicted of child endangerment in 2016.
The plumber served three years in prison before he started dating his now fiancée Payton Shires, 24, who was arrested last month on suspicion of unlawful sexual contact with a 13-year-old boy.
Rafter, who shares a son with Shires, was jailed for four years and 11 months for the offense and twice for burglary, but was released in early August 2017.
Nicholas Rafter, 27, was previously jailed on charges of child endangerment, DailyMail.com has learned
Rafter (pictured right in his mugshot), who began dating his now fiancée Payton Shires in 2019, spent nine months in prison in connection with an incident involving a minor
The couple – who have a three-year-old son – were planning a wedding before Shires’ arrest in October.
The father of one was initially charged with rape, sexual battery and unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in 2016.
Court documents seen by DailyMail.com show the more serious charges were dismissed by the court following Rafter’s guilty plea to child endangerment.
He was accused of attacking a 14-year-old girl in November 2015, when he was 19, when she was “unaware the act was being committed.”
Rafter allegedly gave the teenage girl a drug, intoxicant or controlled substance “covertly or by force, threat of force or deception.”
He was released from prison, placed on probation for five years and subjected to random drug checks. Rafter was released from community supervision in July 2022.
When contacted by DailyMail.com near his home in Columbus, Rafter declined to comment.
Shires’ attorney – who previously represented Rafter – did not return requests for comment.
In a social media post, Shires appeared to condemn the same criminal group she is now accused of – reposting a video of a driver’s bumper sticker that read: ‘Dead pedophiles don’t reoffend. #savethechildren.’
A neighbor told DailyMail.com: ‘Payton is entitled and used to getting her way. We clashed with her several times and everyone was aware of Nick’s previous convictions.’
‘Her posts about pedophiles also raised some eyebrows as her partner was accused of being one too. If he supports her, he’s an idiot.’
Shires, who has also been charged with intimidating a witness by threats, had a $50,000 bond she was released on revoked and is now expected to remain behind bars. She is said to have had sex at least twice in September with the teenager she was assigned to supervise
Numerous social media posts have shed light on the Ohio woman’s life, and how she and her fiancé recently purchased a three-bedroom home for their family — including three dogs — to settle into. Shires’ fiancée is not involved in the current situation. case
In a social media post, Shires appeared to condemn the same criminal group she could now be part of – reposting a video of a driver’s bumper sticker that read: ‘Dead pedophiles don’t reoffend. #savethechildren
It is unclear whether Rafter is still in a relationship with Shires following her arrest, after neighbors claimed she returned to their shared home after being released from prison.
They said that before Shires’ arrest, the couple would regularly hold parties at their $225,000 estate in Mount Sterling, Ohio.
After the social worker was arrested in October, on her 24th birthday, Rafter “locked herself upstairs” in their three-bedroom home and refused to speak to anyone.
Shires was released after posting $50,000 bail, but was arrested again after going to her victims’ home and threatening him and his mother with a gun.
She has been charged with two counts of witness intimidation after threatening to kill herself and her victims’ mother, claiming they had “ruined her life.”
A lawyer for the family declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com, but sources close to the victim say they are ‘terrified to leave the house’.
“She left bullet holes in their house,” they added.
‘There are other children in the house and everyone is afraid she will come back. They don’t feel safe.’
Shires was arrested after her alleged victim’s mother found texts and explicit videos from the social worker on his phone.
The messages also allegedly included messages asking whether the boy had deleted certain videos – and whether or not the mother had seen them.
Shires admitted the sexual conduct with the teen to his mother in a phone conversation recorded by police.
Her victim, who has not been named for legal reasons, told police in Columbus that he had sex with Shires at least twice in the city in September.
Shires, 24, reportedly showed up at the 13-year-old boy’s home with a gun and threatened to kill himself and members of the family for “ruining her life.” The boy’s mother reported her to police in Columbus last month
Shires gave birth to a son, father of Rafter, in 2019
Social media profiles confirmed to be of Payton Shires detailed the upcoming nuptials and how the suspected pedophile has been engaged to Rafter for almost two years
Months earlier, Shires, a graduate of Ohio State University, received her license to practice as a social worker in June.
Her Oct. 6 arrest came just months after she got a job with Columbus’ National Youth Advocate Program. The company has since parted ways with her.
The group provides counseling, social work and advocacy to families involved in the foster care system, and at one point tasked her with counseling the victim.
Shires wept in court as a judge read her new witness tampering charges, which could add 10 years in prison to her time.
She had already been given a sentence of six to 18 months for the sex-related case – a case that could see her forced to register as a sex offender even after leaving prison.
When asked, Shires’ previous employer would not reveal why she stopped working for them, citing confidentiality and the ongoing police case.
“Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility,” program representatives said in a statement to DailyMail.com, adding that they are “saddened to learn of the situation involving one of our former employees and a young person with our organization.”
They added, “NYAP has reported the situation to Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) and is working with them and the Columbus Police Department on this matter.” Both of Shires’ cases are currently ongoing.