In Palatka, Florida, a man from Putnam County, Lawrence Lacourse, has been sentenced to life in prison following his conviction on charges of capital sexual battery. The State Attorney’s Office confirmed the sentence after a swift and decisive trial.
As reported by The Florida Times-Union, Lacourse, aged 69, was initially taken into custody on May 13, 2020. This arrest followed allegations from a 14-year-old victim, who bravely came forward to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. She revealed that Lacourse had subjected her to sexual abuse, a horror that began when she was just 10 years old and persisted over four grueling years.
During a brief two-day trial, a jury in Putnam County took merely 26 minutes to deliberate before finding Lawrence guilty of the charges leveled against him. His conviction for capital sexual battery has resulted in life imprisonment without parole, underscoring the gravity of his crimes.
- One count of sexual battery on a child less than 12.
- One count of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child less than 12.
- Three counts of sexual battery on a child older than 12 but less than 18.
- Two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child older than 12 but less than 16.
State Attorney R.J. Larizza did not mince words, labeling Lawrence as a pedophile whose “sexual depravity knows no bounds.” Larizza expressed hope that the conviction and sentencing would bring some measure of peace to the victims, acknowledging the profound impact of Lawrence’s heinous actions on their lives.
It is worth noting that this was not Lawrence’s first brush with the law regarding such offenses. In 1995, he faced charges of lewd and lascivious behavior on a child and sexual battery in Collier County, highlighting a disturbing pattern of behavior that has finally been halted.
Lawrence was previously arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior on a child and sexual battery in Collier County in 1995.
