A former South Florida youth track coach convicted of molesting a 14-year-old in 2010 was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Tuesday.
Darius Tremayne Lawshea, 51, was found guilty last month in an incident involving a student from Miami Carol City Senior High School in Miami Gardens.
Lawshea has been the longtime head coach of Miami Gardens Xpress Track and Field, which offers organized track and field programs to youngsters aged 5 to 18, according to its website.
According to the police report, the victim claimed Lawshea had sex with her three times, twice in his car and once at his apartment, where she was spending the night before a track meet the next morning.
Lawshea was not arrested until 2020, and the girl stated that she “never disclosed what happened because she was fearful because Mr. Lawshea was loved by everyone in the community and she didn’t want to get in trouble,” according to reports.
During Lawshea’s sentence on Tuesday, another claimed victim spoke up about how he groomed her to exploit her. “I felt dirty and ashamed,” the woman explained.
Despite the abuse that forced her to give up track in college, the woman stated that she was finally able to resume running after “finding the little girl” who had been mistreated.
Judge Andrea Wolfson, who handed down the punishment, described Lawshea’s acts as “some of the most egregious manipulation of a vulnerable young girl, a baby girl who believed in you.”
Lawshea sobbed as the punishment was delivered. The judge also identified him as a sexual predator. I am prepared to do whatever the court demands of me. “I ask the court for mercy and fairness,” he stated while reading a statement.
The victim’s mother talked to media following the sentencing. Tracy Mills said, “He still destroyed the lives of many young girls and families, including his own.” “Many people put a lot of faith in him because of his stature in the community, because he was such a great coach.”
Lawshea has several comparable instances involving other victims that are still ongoing.