(NewsReady.com) – Being the parent of a teenager is difficult under normal circumstances, even if you are the best parent. Kids are very impressionable at that age, and it’s more important than ever to set a good example. A California mom is accused of doing the opposite.
California authorities have charged Shannon O’Connor with more than five dozen charges. She is accused of hosting sex parties for teenagers at her home. The 49-year-old allegedly pressured kids as young as 13 years old to have sex and binge drink during the parties held at her $4.7-million home in Los Gatos.
On November 6, O’Connor pleaded not guilty to the 63 counts against her, including 43 misdemeanors and 20 felonies. Originally, she was facing 39 charges. However, that rose to 63 after a grand jury heard testimony from 17 alleged victims.
Fox News reported Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise said the charges include felony sexual assault, child endangerment, and felony dissuading a witness. They uncovered more evidence after the original indictment.
Prosecutors claim that during the national health emergency, the defendant invited her son to have parties with his friends at her home. The parties reportedly took place over an 11-month period. Children allegedly drank themselves into unconsciousness at the parties, were sexually abused, suffered alcohol poisoning, and one of them suffered broken bones. In 2021, she was living in Idaho when police arrested her.
Prosecutors claim she gave the kids condoms and whiskey, then told them to keep the parties at her home a secret from their parents. When one of the kids passed out from too much alcohol, she failed to get help for the child.
O’Connor reportedly turned down a plea deal that would have sent her to prison for 17 years. Instead, she has decided to try her luck in front of a jury of her peers. She’s now facing decades in prison.
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