Alleged molester had previous arrest

Jen Lawson and Erica D. Johnson

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2004 | 12:10 p.m.

A 59-year-old man arrested last week on charges of molesting children was arrested eight years ago on charges of fondling a 10-year-old girl, but the charge was reduced in a plea deal and the man was not required to register as a sex offender.

In the August 1996 case, Harold Shaw rode his mountain bike by the girl's home and persuaded her to come to his house in the 1300 block of Seal Beach Drive, near Jones Boulevard and Vegas Drive, according to the police report.

Shaw allegedly took the victim into his bedroom where he disrobed and molested her, the report says.

The alleged victim told police she kicked at Shaw and escaped. Her parents called the police and brought her to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center that night for an examination.

Prosecutors charged Shaw with multiple felony charges, including sexual assault with a minor under 14 and lewdness, but he later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of annoying a minor as a part of a plea deal, Chief Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon said.

Shaw was ordered to attend counseling, perform community service and make a charitable donation to a sexual abuse clinic. He was placed on an informal probation for three years.

But after hearing another case in 2002, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the charge of annoying of a minor was unconstitutional, Herndon said. Authorities are still looking into the details concerning Shaw's record.

"It's still unclear," Herndon said. "The criminal repository may have just expunged everyone's charge of annoying a minor."

Shaw was arrested Friday as part of a global sting that resulted in 2,000 child pornography arrests.

Shaw likely will not be re-charged on the misdemeanor count and prosecutors can't go after him for failing to register as a sex offender because of the unique circumstances the case, Herndon said.

Still, authorities have considerable evidence against Shaw in the current case so the old case won't be an issue, Herndon said.

"I'm making sure his new case clears any problems about registering as a sex offender," the prosecutor said.