The Region : Ex-Deputy Given 6-Year Term for Rape

Former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy Kenneth Lawrence was sentenced to six years in state prison for raping a prostitute in the Criminal Courts Building last spring while the woman was in his custody. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Henry P. Nelson immediately ordered Lawrence, 27, into custody, but scheduled a hearing for Friday to determine if he should be granted bail while appealing his Dec. 18 conviction. Although Nelson could have sentenced Lawrence to up to eight years, Deputy Dist. Atty. Deborah Kranze asked for the lesser term “in the interests of justice.”