Douglas Shade at Broad Street Grind in Souderton Monday, Feb. 27., 2017. Photo by MediaNews Group.
Judge: Douglas Shade 'committed these acts in secrecy, in the back alleyways of his soul'
A Lower Salford parent and former Souderton coffeehouse co-owner is headed to state prison for up to 72 years for sexually abusing and filming a young girl over a 2-year period.
Douglas Phillip Shade, 44, of the 400 block of Main Street, who faced up to 311 years, was given 36 to 72 years in state prison after pleading guilty in June 2025 to 10 felony counts of aggravated indecent assault of a child under 13, a felony charge of indecent assault of a child under 13, one felony count of corruption of a minor, two felony counts of creating child pornography and five felony counts of possessing child pornography, according to court records.
All in all, he pleaded guilty to 19 of 95 crimes. The remaining offenses were dismissed against Shade, per court records. Shade told prosecutors he suffered from depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was sexually abused as a child, and was addicted to pornography, per reports. He was represented by defense lawyer Vincent Erik Petersen.
Shade sexually abused a 10-year-old girl on at least 10 occasions between 2023 and 2024, filming the incidents on his cell phone, and possessing more than 17 videos and 1,700 images of child pornography.
Shade is a former co-owner of Broad Street Grind, along with Shade's parents, Franconia Township residents Phillip and Heather Shade.
The victim and her relatives gave testimony at the sentencing hearing Friday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
“This is deeply emotional for the victim and the family of the victim. Cases like this affect the very soul of people in the community. I heard trauma. I heard emotional pain, betrayal, a violation of trust, anger and sadness,” Judge Steven T. O’Neill said, according to The Mercury.
Sentencing included several consecutive 10-year mandatory prison terms, sought by prosecutors, according to The Mercury, to reflect the multiple times Shade abused the girl while she was in his company.
Shade knew the girl’s family and had access to the girl, per reports.
“That’s 10 separate moments that (the victim) had to feel the panic. When (the victim) was 10-years-old she deserved to feel safe. Instead, the defendant chose, over and over and over again, to violate her,” argued Assistant District Attorney Margot S. Weitz, who, according to The Mercury, sought a sentence that would keep Shade behind bars for the rest of his life. “This is a man who should not be allowed access to children. The likelihood to reoffend is overwhelming.”
“He committed these acts in secrecy, in the back alleyways of his soul. You hurt her. You violated her trust,” O’Neill addressed Shade directly, per The Mercury. “These were crimes committed against someone our community must protect. One child hurt, betrayed like this, hurts us all.”
Shade must also register as a sexually violent predator.
Supported by his mother, police officer brother, two clergymen, and a female friend, Shade was given an opportunity to speak at his sentencing.
“There is not one day that goes by that I don’t regret what I have done. I look back at my crimes and cannot believe I committed them,” he said.
Petersen claimed the lengthy prison sentence was “not justice, that is just cold vengeance.”
Victim Impact
According to The Mercury, the hearing was marked emotional testimony from the victim and several of her relatives; she told O’Neill that she suffers from anxiety, stress, and nightmares.
“Does her small, fragile voice begging you to stop haunt you?” said one relative, to Shade.
The victim’s mother told Shade he shattered her daughter’s innocence, trust and safety, scarring a little girl whose life was “giggles and stuffed animals” now destroyed by “a sadness far too heavy for a child to bear.”.
“The truth of what you did is revolting,” she told Shade, directly, per The Mercury, saying he sold his “narcissistic façade” to others.
“He used that trust as a weapon…and he used that trust to commit the most repulsive betrayal imaginable,” the girl’s mother said, per the courtroom coverage. “And now, the truth you tried so hard to hide is exposed. Your charm and excuses can’t cover it anymore.”
“She did do one thing he never expected: She broke his control. She saw through his manipulation, found her voice and told her truth,” the girl’s mother said.
Then, she asked O’Neill to give him a sentence that sends “an unshakeable message” that his actions were wrong and inexcusable, and that physically keeps him away from children forever.
“This is not just about us. This is about every child who has ever lived in silence, terrified to speak out against their abuser, watching this case unfold and wondering if the punishment will ultimately be worth the risk, the pain and the humiliation of speaking out,” the girl’s mother said to O’Neill, per the report.
O’Neill praised the victim for having the courage to come forward.
“Don’t let this horrible, horrible thing take your soul, take your heart. I see good things for her. I see positive things for her because she’s got courage,” O’Neill told the victim and her family.
“The victim in this case is extraordinarily brave. She had the courage to tell someone what the defendant was doing to her. It has affected her sense of safety in every way imaginable and it is something she will live with. But she knows that this is not something that will define her,” Weitz said, per The Mercury.
Following his guilty plea last year, prosecutors asked to revoke bail, but O’Neill allowed it to remain, but ordered Shade to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet at all times.
Initial Investigation
On July 25, 2024, Lower Salford authorities investigated a report of sexual assault involving a girl under 13 years of age on at least 10 occasions, according to the affidavit. Authorities allege Shade recorded his encounters on his cellphone, while kissing and indecently assaulting the girl.
Once authorities obtained a search warrant for Shade’s personal and work phones, they were able to download a large amount of child sexual abuse material, including pictures and videos of juveniles under 18 in various stages of undress and performing sexual acts, according to the affidavit.
All in all, investigators found 20 videos of CSAM, three of which included Shade, recorded in May 2024, police said.
Further examination of Shade’s phone located a large amount of photos of CSAM, including 891 photos of children under 13 engaged in sexual acts; 499 photos of children between 13 and 18 engaged in illicit acts; 318 photos of nude juveniles; 12 bondage photographs; and 11 photos of bestiality, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities said the Telegram app is often used to produce and distribute CSAM.
Shade departs Broad Street Grind in 2023
Shade was a former partner of a six-owner stake in Broad Street Grind, founded in 2016 and opened in 2017.
Broad Street Grind is the storefront face for Liberty Hall Coffee LLC The LLC is registered to the elder Shade’s Berkshire Drive residence.Liberty Hall Coffee LLC has a sister company called Liberty Hall Roasters LLC.
The parent LLC has been operating for about 10 years, and estimated between $245,277 and $333,000 in annual revenue last year, per online business records.
In November 2024, Liberty Hall Coffee LLC and Liberty Hall Roasters LLC announced Pamela Nalbach and Zachary Taylor became partners of each company, respectively. Nalbach was named vice president of Liberty Hall Coffee LLC, doing business as Broad Street Grind. Taylor then became vice president of Liberty Hall Roasters LLC.
Then, as of this month, Nalbach has taken ownership over both brands.
Nalbach, a graduate of the International Culinary Academy in Pittsburgh, joined Broad Street Grind in 2017 as executive chef and took over as general manager in 2021. She oversees daily operations and the catering business.
Taylor, a former employee at One Village Coffee and Backyard Beans, joined Liberty Hall Coffee LLC as a consultant in 2022 and then full time in 2023 as Director of Coffee and Roasting.
Social media users support a boycott, before Broad Street Grind steps in
Facebook users took to social media to call for a boycott of the business at the time of Shade’s arrest.
At around the same time, Shade’s father, a retired home security systems sales director affiliated with the Reformed Episcopal Church, in his former role as treasurer of Broad Street Grind, released a statement on the business’s Facebook page in early February 2025.
In the statement, Phillip, a former deacon and assistant to the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Souderton, spoke on the allegations against his son, the family’s stance, and Broad Street Grind:
“We want to take this time to address you're warranted concerns as it relates to criminal allegations made toward a former business partner, and a family member of the founding partners.
In 2023, Douglas Shade’s minority shares in the business were purchased, as he had not been actively involved in the operations of the business for several years. When news of these criminal charges were brought to our attention several months ago, we were deeply grieved and shocked.
We want to make clear that none of the owners condone nor support the alleged criminal behavior which has come to light in subsequent months. The Shade family is completely devastated and more what has transpired.
Douglas Shade was removed from this company in 2023. Because this is an ongoing and active criminal investigation, we were advised not to speak publicly should one of us be called as a witness.
We are sorry if you feel blindsided or betrayed by the reports which were circulated today which unfortunately included substantially false and incorrect information about the broad St. grind. This news was unprecedented on a personal and professional level, and we will continue to move forward with transparency and understanding.”
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
