SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jim Shea, the 2002 Olympic skeleton gold medalist, has been charged with sexual abuse of a child in Utah, authorities said.
Shea made his first court appearance Monday on one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of sexual battery. The incidents occurred in 2020, court documents show.
Shea’s attorney, Rudy Bautista, said Tuesday that the charges are a result of a family dispute and a misunderstanding about what his client contends was loving and affectionate touching.
Shea, 52, plans to plead not guilty to the charges that he thinks should be dropped, Bautista said.
The Associated Press isn’t identifying the relationship of the alleged victim to Shea to protect the child’s identity. In general, the AP does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse.
Shea, a third-generation Olympian, won the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic title in skeleton, which returned to the Winter Games program for the first time since 1948.
OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!
