A Somers Point man who works as a pre-kindergarten aide in Woodbine is accused of sexually assaulting four family members for years when they were as young as 5.
Shaun Stebbins, 43, is jailed on 16 counts, including charges that he raped the three boys and a girl, and used them to create child sexual assault material, commonly referred to as child pornography.
Stebbins, whose last name before marriage was Burtchaell, appears to have been a well-respected worker at Woodbine Elementary School, where he was named Paraprofessional of the Year for 2024-2025.
Shaun Stebbins was honored by the Woodbine Elementary School in December 2024. The Facebook post is shown edited to remove the name of a teacher who also was honored.None of the current charges include students, although there is concern there are other victims who have not yet come forward.
"We are deeply concerned that there may be additional victims, particularly given the defendant’s access to children through his employment," Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds said as to why his office was announcing these "heinous crimes."
“As we have seen in other recent cases, individuals who prey on children often place themselves in positions of trust within schools, organizations and youth programs to gain access to victims," he said. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are alerting the public despite the holiday weekend and in advance of the scheduled detention hearing."
The father of the victims also has spoken out. He reached out to BreakingAC about a statement he posted on Facebook, and approved it being shared here.
"(Two) weeks ago my youngest son sends me a text that would turn my world upside down," the father wrote. "I call him and speak to him. After we hung up, I called my oldest to go to the house and talk to him and confirmed the same thing that his so-called uncle had been doing things to him since he was 5 and he was having problems dealing with it, so he had the courage to speak up.
The father of five goes on to say that he and his wife called the kids to meet at their home in Egg Harbor Township the next day, "so we can discuss how we're going to proceed."
"As my son is telling his siblings what happened, my youngest daughter spoke up about her own dealings with him followed by my other (two) kids," the post continues. "Come to find out that four of the five of my kids were harmed by him. After that, we went right to the police station and filed against him."
It is the series of events also outlined in the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC that the investigation began after a teenage victim disclosed the abuse last week, leading three now-adult victims to detail their own allegations going as far back as 2012.
The claims may be disturbing to read.
The teenage boy said that the abuse began in 2014, when he was home sick from school and alone with Stebbins.
The boy — who would have been about 5 at the time — said he was brought into Stebbins' bedroom, where he was shown pornographic videos and molested for the first time.
The abuse continued for years, and included sexual assaults and videoing the boy in a sexual act, the affidavit states.
The now-adult woman said her abuse also began when she was about 5 or 6 years old, and continued until she hit puberty when she was about 12.
She detailed various sexual assaults that happened about twice a week. She also said Stebbins watched her shower through a hole in the floor during home renovations. Stebbins also allegedly took photos of the juvenile girl.
One of the men said his abuse started when he was about 8 or 9 and continued until he was 14. He said the sexual assaults happened several times a week on the futon in Stebbins' game room.
"He described Shaun as hairy with an abnormality near his tailbone," the affidavit states.
The second man said his abuse started when he was in fourth grade, when Stebbins tried to touch his genitals while swimming, and later would conduct "checks" of the boy's private parts for hair growth.
The victim said Stebbins showed him child sexual abuse materials on his phone, and made him perform sexual acts.
"If you would have asked me two weeks ago if Shaun was capable, I would have fought you on it," the victims' father wrote. "He fooled us all a real wolf in (sheep's) clothing and it goes to show you never really know someone and just because there are no signs doesn't mean there are no problems."
Stebbins has been in the Atlantic County Justice Facility since Somers Point police arrested him last Sunday. He is scheduled to have a detention hearing Monday.
He was an airman in the U.S. Air Force from 2003 to 2007, according to his Facebook page, and worked at Target from 2013 to 2014. It does not indicate which location.
A photo from a school social media page shows Stebbins with a child. (Edited by BreakingAC to cover the child and those in the background)
