Accountability.
A Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officer assigned to the Ferguson Unit was arrested in December 2025 during a Madison County investigation involving allegations of sexual abuse of a child.
According to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, investigators opened the case on December 14 after receiving a report from a child younger than 14. Authorities obtained a warrant for Kenneth Downs Shelton, 56, of Midway, on a charge of continuous sexual abuse of a young child, a first-degree felony.
The allegation concerns conduct outside Shelton’s official duties. An arrest or criminal charge is not proof of guilt, and the accused is presumed innocent unless convicted in court.