Sara Jean Sellers’ mugshot. Photo:
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office
A married mother of two has been charged with 80 child offense charges, including 30 for statutory rape.
The woman, 44-year-old Sara Jean Sellers of Shallotte, N.C., was arrested by the Special Crimes Unit of the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) on Friday, Feb. 14, the BSCO announced in a news release the same day.
Sellers was charged with a total of 80 counts of sexual crimes against children, including 20 counts of statutory rape of a child 15 years old or younger, and 10 counts of statutory rape of a child by an adult.
She was also charged with 20 counts of statutory sex offense with a child 15 years old or younger, 10 counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult and 20 counts of indecent liberties with a child, according to the news release.
Sara Jean Sellers’ mugshot. Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office
Sellers’ alleged victims total at least four, but investigators have not specified an exact number, according to local outlet WWAY.
During Sellers’ first court appearance on Feb. 14, the state revealed that all of her alleged victims are boys, two of whom were 12 at the time of the alleged sex crimes — which spanned from 2018 and 2019 — and two others whose ages were not specified, per WWAY. The latter two victims are currently interviewing with detectives, the outlet reported.
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Police also implied there may be more victims than are currently known, as they urged anyone else “who may have been victimized” by Sellers — or with any other information about her alleged crimes — to come forward.
A stock image of a sheriff’s vehicle. Getty
Also in court on Feb. 14, the defense revealed that Sellers has two daughters and has been married for 22 years, according to WWAY.
The investigation into Sellers’ alleged crimes is ongoing, and she is currently being held at the Brunswick County Detention Center, where her bond was set at $2 million.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
