York County SC man given life sentence after guilty verdict in child sex case
A York County man has been sentenced to life in a South Carolina prison after a jury found him guilty of sex crimes involving a child, according to prosecutors and court records.
Phillip Ryan Lawson, 57, was convicted of three sexual assault charges, said Jenny Desch, 16th Circuit assistant solicitor. The jury found Lawson guilty of first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor, according to Desch and court records.
Lawson was a family friend at the time of the sex assaults, Desch said. He was arrested in 2020 after an investigation by York County Sheriff’s Office detective Amy Smith.
The trial prosecuted by Desch and assistant solicitor Jessica Russo lasted through last week at the Moss Justice Center in York. The jury delivered guilty verdicts Friday night after a day of deliberation.
South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Bill McKinnon sentenced Lawson to life in prison after the guilty verdict.
