A Missouri man charged with the offense of grooming in March of this year made an appearance in Fayette County Court last Tuesday and waived formal arraignment.41- year old Shelby D. Weston of Monett, Missouri appeared with attorney Monroe McWard for a scheduled arraignment. However, McWard and Weston waived formal arraignment in the matter and the matter now moves to pre-trial. Weston is charged with one count of Traveling to Meet a Minor as information states Weston allegedly “knowingly traveled to Illinois from the State of Missouri for the purpose of engaging in the offense of Criminal Sexual Abuse with a child, after said defendant used a computer on-line service and/or any other device capable of electronic data storage or transmission to seduce the victim, a child.” The offense is a Class 3 felony, punishable by two to five years in prison. Weston is also charged with one count of Grooming as information on the count states that Weston allegedly “knowingly used a computer on-line service and/or any other device capable of electronic data storage or transmission to seduce the victim, a child, to commit the offense of Criminal Sexual Abuse, in that after having knowledge of the victim’s age the defendant continued to have sexual in nature conversations with the victim and traveled to Vandalia and invited the victim to meet him in his hotel room. The Grooming offense is a Class 4 felony, punishable by one to three years in prison. Weston will make his next appearance for pre-trial on June 20 at 1pm and does still remain in the Fayette County Jail on $250,000 bond.