Former youth leader sentenced for 2017 assault
A judge sentenced the former leader of an organization aimed at helping youth to prison on Monday for assaulting someone.
According to assistant prosecuting attorney Jessica Caldera, Lorenzo Lawson was sentenced to five years in prison.
Lawson pleaded guilty Oct. 5 to one count of second-degree domestic assault.
Lawson was charged last November after a woman told investigators that he punched her several times, causing a bloody lip, marks on her forehead and a swollen cheek. She also told police that she had to be treated for a broken jaw.
Lawson is the former executive director of the Youth Empowerment Zone in Columbia and a former church pastor. He stepped down from his position at the youth mentoring organization after he was accused.
