Cortland County Courthouse. (Photo Source: Stephen Yang/The Cortland Voice).
A man facing sexual abuse allegations pleaded not guilty in Cortland County Court on Thursday.
According to a county sheriff’s report, Delanne G. Shelton allegedly subjected two victims to “inappropriate contact” on several occasions between 2022 and 2023 at an undisclosed location in the town of Cortlandville.
One of the victims, who is under 17 years of age, knows Shelton.
Shelton was arrested last June and charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse (a Class-D Felony) and endangering the welfare of a child (a Class-A Misdemeanor).
County judge Julie Campbell said in court on Thursday that Shelton could face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and an additional 10 years of post-release supervision for his sex abuse charge.
The deadline for defense attorney Kayla Hardesty to file a motion in regard to Shelton — and for the district attorney’s office to respond — is in the coming weeks.
Orders of protection have been placed in favor of the victims.
