Brackenridge man, woman charged with child endangerment in connection to sex assault case

A Brackenridge man and woman have been charged with felony child endangerment and other offenses after investigators said they violated a no contact order with two children the man is accused of sexually abusing.

Court records show John Godfrey and Shannon M. Godfrey, both 42, were released from Allegheny County Jail after posting $25,000 and $5,000 bond, respectively.

Allegheny County Police in September charged John Godfrey with 18 felony offenses after the owner of a phone sex company reported he had made some disturbing comments to one of her operators in reference to a 9-year-old boy.

In a criminal complaint, investigators said Godfrey had allegedly talked with the operator about performing sex acts on a 9-year-old boy, and masturbating in front of him. Godfrey also allegedly had the boy say hello on the call, according to the complaint.

Police said Godfrey admitted that he spoke with the operator, but he denied ever sexually abusing the boy and claimed it was all a fantasy. However, investigators found images on Godfrey’s cellphone corroborating the sexual acts he described carrying out on the boy to the operator, the complaint said.

This isn’t the first time Godfrey has been accused of sexually abusing a minor.

In December 2017, a Warren County judge sentenced Godfrey to three months to two years in jail for molesting a girl when she was 8 or 9 years old. Godfrey had pleaded guilty to indecent assault in September of that year. His sentence was marked as satisfied in January 2018, according to court records.

Godfrey’s bail in the September case involving the 9-year-old boy was set at $50,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim and witnesses involved in the case.

Police filed the new charges last week after the victims in the two cases said Godfrey contacted them multiple times despite the no contact order, according to a criminal complaint.

Godfrey’s attorney Duke George said on Sunday that he had not yet had a chance to review the new charges.

In regards to the September charges, George said: “They have an uphill battle with those charges and the allegations that they’ve made concerning those charges. They bear no resemblance to the factual situation.”

George would not elaborate when asked for further explanation.

Police said they were notified of the no contact violation by the mother of the Warren County victim. According to police, Godfrey had sent a text message to the girl’s mother in December, indicating he had been in contact with the girl.

The girl, now 16, told police that on two occasions, Godfrey came into a residence knowing that she was present inside. She said on one occasion, Godfrey came upstairs while she was in a bedroom, entered the bedroom, and talked to her for ten minutes before leaving the residence, according to a criminal complaint.

The girl told police that Shannon Godfrey told her on numerous occasions that John Godfrey wanted her to call him, and instructed her to make contact with him. Police said Shannon Godfrey was aware that John Godfrey was to not to have contact with either victim, according to the complaint.

Police looked at the girl’s cellphone records and determined Godfrey had called and texted her, the complaint said.

The girl told police Godfrey had told her that his attorney said it was OK for him to contact her, police said.

Godfrey’s attorney, Duke George, said the girl is not a victim in the recent case.

“She has nothing to do with the case,” George said.

Investigators also spoke with the 9-year-old boy, who told them Godfrey continued to stay in contact with him and would come to his house.

The boy said Shannon Godfrey was usually present when Godfrey was around, but there were times when she would leave the boy alone with Godfrey, the complaint said.

Court records show that a preliminary hearing in Godfrey’s September case has been delayed until Feb. 17. Preliminary hearings for the child endangerment cases are scheduled for Jan. 20, according to court records.