Bradenton man sentenced after sexually abusing 2 children, records show
A Bradenton man will serve a lengthy prison sentence for sexually abusing two children in cases nearly 20 years apart, court records show.
A Manatee County judge sentenced Michael Shawn Simmonds on Jan. 21 to 25 years in prison for abuse that began in 2003 and 15 years in a separate case stemming from a 2020 allegation, according to court records. He will serve both sentences at the same time, and Circuit Judge Teri K. Dees designated him a sexual predator.
In the older case, prosecutors originally charged Simmonds, 46, with capital sexual battery, which carries a potential life sentence. He pleaded no contest to the lesser charge of attempted sexual battery of a child younger than 12 shortly before trial, court records show.
In the 2020 case, Simmonds pleaded no contest to lewd or lascivious molestation involving a 13-year-old girl, according to court records.
An attorney representing Simmonds did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Bradenton man sentenced in child sex abuse cases
Detectives uncovered the earlier allegations while investigating the 2020 molestation case, according to an arrest report. During that investigation, authorities learned Simmonds had previously been investigated for similar allegations in South Carolina and contacted another victim, who described abuse that occurred while living in Manatee County, the report says.
According to an arrest report, the sexual battery case stemmed from abuse that occurred between 2003 and 2004, when Simmonds was in his early 20s and the victim was 4 or 5 years old. The victim told detectives they remembered multiple incidents of sexual abuse in Manatee County.
The second case stemmed from a March 9, 2020, incident also in Manatee County, according to an arrest report. Prosecutors said the then-42-year-old Simmonds entered the bedroom of a 13-year-old girl as she tried to fall asleep, closed the door behind him and touched her inappropriately.
According to the report, the girl shifted her leg, causing Simmonds to stop briefly. She told investigators she believed he was waiting for her to fall asleep before continuing.
The allegations were later reported to Florida’s child abuse hotline after the victim disclosed the abuse to her mother and two other adults, according to an arrest report.
As part of the sentence, Dees credited Simmonds with 1,261 days already served, according to court records. The judge also ordered him to provide a DNA sample for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement database and pay more than $1,000 in court costs.
