Hundreds Of Child Sexual Abuse And Rape Charges Face N.Y Man

The Berkshire Eagle  reports a New York man man is facing hundreds of sex crime charges for alleged assaults on three children in Austerlitz, N.Y., over a four-year span, according to the Columbia County (N.Y.) District Attorney's Office.

Michael Lawrence, 71, of Austerlitz, was arraigned Monday in a sealed indictment in Columbia County County Court in Hudson, N.Y.,

Lawrence is accused of 103 counts of predatory sexual assault; 103 counts of first-degree rape; 130 counts of first-degree sexual abuse; 23 counts of first-degree sexual abuse; first-degree criminal sexual conduct; second-degree criminal sexual conduct; a first-degree criminal sex act; and three counts of second-degree sexual abuse. A grand jury handed up the charges.

Beginning in 2009, Lawrence had sexual contact with three children, the youngest of whom was 11, according to District Attorney Paul Czajka; the assaults continued through 2013, according to the criminal complaint.

The investigation was conducted by New York State Police Investigator Robin Reed.