Lawrence Clay (DOB: 12/18/73) today was ordered to serve 30 years for the October 2009 kidnapping of a Middletown girl and reckless driving. Clay was found guilty on October 19, 2010 by a Newport County Superior Court jury in a trial presided over by Judge Melanie Wilk Thunberg.
On the count of kidnapping a minor, Clay was sentenced to 60 years, 30 to serve with the remainder suspended with probation and one year to serve on the reckless driving count, sentences to run concurrent.
In the early morning hours of October 29, 2009, in Middletown, Clay encountered a 14-year-old girl and threatened her, telling her to get into his car because he had a gun. After driving around for a few hours it is alleged that he raped the victim in New Bedford after which she was able to escape from the car.
The defendant was captured shortly before midnight on October 29, after leading Newport Police on a chase that ended with Clay crashing into another car near the Newport Bridge.
Clay has been remanded to the Adult Correctional Institution since his arrest in October 2009.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorneys General Dan Guglielmo and Ania Hopkins. The Middletown Police led the investigation, with now retired Lt. John Gatta as the lead investigator.
The alleged sexual assault will be addressed by Massachusetts authorities.
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