Lawrence Clay Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for 2009 Kidnapping of Middletown Girl

Lawrence Clay, 37, of last known address Crossroads in Providence, was sentenced on Thursday to serve 30 years in prison for the October 2009 kidnapping of a Middletown girl and reckless driving, according to a statement issued by the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General.

A Newport County Superior Court jury on October 19, 2010 had found Clay guilty of the two crimes in a trial presided over by Judge Melanie Wilk Thunberg. According to the Attorney General's office, a separate sexual assault allegation will be addressed by Massachusetts authorities.

On the count of kidnapping a minor, Clay received a total sentence of 60 years, of which he was ordered to remain incarcerated for 30 years and serve out the remaining 30 years on probation with a suspended sentence. He was also ordered to serve one year concurrently on the reckless driving count, according to the news release.

In the early morning hours of October 29, 2009 in Middletown, Clay encountered a 14-year-old girl and allegedly 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 and she later escaped from the car, the press release stated.

Clay 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.

He has been held at the Adult Correctional Institution (ACI) in Cranston since his arrest in October 2009.   

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorneys General Dan Guglielmo and Ania Hopkins. 

The led the investigation, with now retired Lt. John Gatta as the lead investigator.