ST CHARLES, Mo. — A 25-year-old St. Charles man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple child sexual abuse charges in federal court.
Ronald C. Lawrence was sentenced Friday, more than two months after he admitted to sexually abusing two victims and recording the abuse. He also admitted to sharing the recordings with others online and downloading other child sexual abuse material.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, the victims’ mother spoke in court, saying Lawrence had destroyed their lives and violated the trust they once had in him.
According to the press release, Lawrence also met a third juvenile victim online and instructed that person to send him explicit videos. He also asked the victim and another person to take exploitative images of their younger siblings and send them to him.
In addition to the 40-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk also ordered him to pay $3,000 to one of the victims of the video he downloaded from the internet.
Lawrence is also facing 11 charges out of St. Charles County, including multiple counts of statutory rape and sodomy. A plea hearing is scheduled for July 24, according to online court documents.
When he was initially charged in St. Charles County, the St. Charles Police Department said they were "concerned that there may be additional unidentified victims" of Lawrence and asked anyone with information to call its non-emergency line at 636-949-3300.
What to do to report
If you suspect child abuse, call the Missouri Hotline number at 1-800-392-3738, the Illinois Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873) or the national hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
