Former Payson coach pleads guilty in sex case

PROVO — A former assistant softball coach at Payson High School has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in connection with sexual activity the woman engaged in with a girl, then 15, who had been on her team.

McKell Shurtliff, 24, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor, as part of a plea bargain.

She originally was charged with two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and lewdness involving a child, all third-degree felonies. The charges stemmed from activities that occurred in 2008, according to court documents.

Shurtliff is set to be sentenced Nov. 17 by 4th District Judge Fred Howard.

Police first became aware of the situation when the girl, now 16, came forward this year and said that in March of 2008, she and Shurtliff had become friends, but the relationship changed to the point where Shurtliff touched the girl's genitals while they were visiting a relative of the coach. The girl told police that there had been five other sexual encounters.

Shurtliff was arrested in May and eventually confessed to having engaged in sexual activity with the girl, saying that she did it because she loved the girl, according to court documents.