Man sentenced to 90 days in sauna incident

By Linda Cicoira

The 72-year-old Onancock man who committed sexual battery in the sauna in the men’s locker room at a local fitness center in September of 2023 was sentenced Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court to three months of active time in jail.

John Lee Shreaves Sr., of Chandler Street, was initially indicted on a count of forcible sodomy of a helpless victim. In an agreement with Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan, Shreaves offered the Alford plea to a misdemeanor count of unlawfully committing sexual battery. The plea means he acknowledges that the evidence would convict him but he does not admit to being guilty.

Judge Lynwood W. Lewis Jr. sentenced Shreaves to 12 months in jail, the maximum term for the misdemeanor, with nine months suspended.

Morgan said the victim, whose name is being withheld because of the nature of the crime, was naked and sitting on a towel in the sauna. He had headphones on and was listening to music with his eyes closed. He felt something touch him and he swatted it away. Oral sodomy then occurred.

Morgan said there was a camera at the entryway to the locker room. A recording showed the defendant entering and leaving the room at the time of the incident. The prosecutor said a recovery test showed Shreaves could not be eliminated as a suspect.

When police approached Shreaves about the incident, he said it was consensual, said Morgan.