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Lawrence Cop Found Guilty Of Raping Woman In Cruiser

LAWRENCE (CBS) -- A suspended Lawrence police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman while on duty in his cruiser.

Kevin Sledge, 48, of Salem, N.H. was found guilty Friday of rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery.

Prosecutors argued during the five-day trial that Sledge had picked up a drunk 23-year-old woman in September of 2008 and took her back to the police station, but left her in his cruiser. Over the course of two hours he went to the cruiser several times and raped her.

Sledge was placed on leave after he was arrested, and taken off the payroll in October of 2008.

It took the jury about ten hours over two days to come to its verdict.

Sledge is scheduled to be sentenced on February 3. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the rape conviction, and up to five years in prison on each of the assault and battery conviction.

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