DELHI, – Acting District Attorney Shawn Smith announced today that Devon Ireland, 28, of Unadilla, New York, appeared in Delaware County Court on December 11, 2023, and pleaded guilty to Attempted Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the Second Degree.

Ireland appeared before the Honorable John L. Hubbard, Delaware County Court Judge, for a court conference on December 11th. After the conference, the defendant pleaded guilty to Attempting to Disseminate Indecent Material to Minors in the Second Degree. Prior to pleading guilty, the defendant admitted that he was sending messages to a person he believed to be a minor. The defendant, who is already a registered sex offender, further admitted that the messages were of a sexual nature, and that he sent one message containing a photograph of a large rubber penis to the person he believed to be a child. It was later revealed that the person he was messaging was an adult, decoying as a child, rather than a real child.

The guilty plea was entered as part of a negotiated disposition wherein it is anticipated that the defendant will be sentenced to 1 year in jail. The defendant will also be required to pay fines and surcharges, as well as provide a sample of his DNA for inclusion in the DNA databank. This conviction will also result in further registration pursuant to the New York State Sex Offender Registration Act. The defendant waived his right to appeal the conviction and sentence.

After pleading guilty, Judge Hubbard remanded the defendant to the Delaware County Correctional Facility pending his sentencing on January 29, 2024.

Acting District Attorney Shawn Smith commended Delaware County Sheriff Deputies Elderkin and Finch for their thorough investigation into this case.

Shawn J. Smith 

Acting District Attorney 

Delaware County