January 29, 2012 Former Lane County Emergency Medical Service director faces life in prison www.privateofficer.com
DIGHTON KS Jan 29 2012 – A former Lane County Emergency Medical Service director is facing life in prison after a jury convicted him Friday of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
William Lance McGowan was also found guilty Friday of aggravated solicitation of a child, but he was acquitted of two counts of criminal sodomy, according to Clint Blaes, a spokesperson for the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
The crimes occurred between 2007 and 2009 and involve a girl between the ages of 6 and 8, according to district court records.
McGowan stood trial this week before District Judge Bruce Gatterman, the chief judge of the 24th Judicial District that covers Lane, Edwards, Pawnee, Ness, Hodgeman and Rush counties. Jurors deliberated for about seven hours before reaching a verdict Friday.
The conviction for aggravated indecent liberties with a child falls under Jessica’s Law and calls for a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole for 25 years. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday that McGowan is now in custody.
McGowan previously served as chairman of the Southwest Kansas Regional Trauma Council and as chairman of the Lane County Hospital board. He was arrested in November 2010 outside Lane County Hospital, where he was director of information technology.
Assistant Attorney General Nicole Romine prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
www.hutchnews.com
Tags: Former Lane County Emergency Medical Service director faces life in prison, William Lance McGowan
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