WARREN COUNTY — The Tipp City wedding photographer who didn’t hold up her end of the deal appeared in court on Monday.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
News Center 7’s I-Team has been following Alexis Shelton’s civil legal trouble for months.
>>RELATED: Ohio AG files lawsuit against wedding photographer accused of bailing on local brides
The I-Team was in court in Warren County on Monday as Shelton admitted her guilt in a felony theft case.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Man learns punishment for selling drugs near Dayton high school
- Murder suspect arrested after hours-long police presence in Dayton neighborhood
- Injuries reported after crash involving deputy on US 35 in Greene County
“What’s your plea?” Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Donald Oda asked.
“Guilty,” Shelton replied.
But she isn’t being sentenced for now.
As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Shelton will have to do court-ordered mental health counseling, pay back the $1,200 she stole, and follow other court rules like no drug or alcohol use.
“If you do all of those things, this case is going to end without a finding of guilt,” Oda said.
If not, the judge told her she would be convicted and sentenced.
Warren County’s prosecutor said Shelton took that $1,200 from a couple to photograph their wedding in September, but didn’t show.
I-Team Lead Investigator John Bedell tried to speak with Shelton’s lawyer, Alana Van Gundy, about a different case on Monday.
“My client has no comment,” she said.
Bedell wanted to talk to Shelton after court because the I-Team has been following another case involving her for months.
News Center 7 knows the Ohio Attorney General’s Office has been investigating Shelton since last fall, when we talked to brides around the Miami Valley and across Ohio.
“She double-booked our wedding day; that was an instant breach,” Alexys Emerson told News Center 7 in October 2025.
>>RELATED: ‘It’s been hard;’ Bride says local wedding photographer missed multiple deadlines for photos
“I definitely want my money back,” Ashley Rank previously said.
“It made me feel incredibly stressed out, and I was very disappointed,” Lindsey Szczesniak, of Sagamore Hills, said.
These women hired Shelton through her company, Patty Ann Photography, only to have her fail to show up or deliver.
The Attorney General’s Office sued Shelton last month, accusing her of failing to deliver wedding, engagement, or anniversary photos that people paid her to provide.
Alexys Emerson and Ashley Rank both told the I-Team they’re part of the Ohio Attorney General’s civil consumer case.
Bedell tried to ask Shelton questions on their behalf on Monday after the plea in that separate criminal case.
“I just want to give her a chance to respond to what we’ve been following for a few months,” Bedell said.
“Again, my client has no comment,” Van Gundy replied.
“Well, she’s told me she’s paid these people back and the AG’s office that she has not to this point,” Bedell said.
“How many times do I have to tell you have to tell you, there’s no comment,” Van Gundy said.
The judge told Shelton she has three months to payback $1,200 to the victims in the Warren County criminal case or else spend three months in jail.
Court records show the Ohio AG’s Office served Shelton with its lawsuit on Thursday. That civil case is filed in Clark County.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
