Staff report

WARREN — A 53-year-old Warren man pleaded guilty Thursday to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and tampering with evidence in a case involving a 15-year-old girl, avoiding a jury trial that was to begin later this month.

Charles Shultz, of Judyth Street in Warren, entered the pleas to the three third-degree felony charges before Judge Ronald J. Rice in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Shultz will undergo a background investigation before sentencing, at which point he will be designated a Tier 2 sexual offender, requiring him to register with the local sheriff’s office twice per year for 25 years.

A Weathersfield Township police investigation found that the sexual conduct began in August 2024, after police learned Shultz had sex with the underage girl.

Prosecutors also accused him of attempting to interfere with the DNA collection process during the probe.

A trial had been scheduled to start Nov. 17. No sentencing date was immediately set.