BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – A Bedford County man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting and attacking a woman in Bedford County in 2019, according to Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Bethany Harrison.
On Tuesday, Steven Lorent was sentenced by a Bedford Circuit Court judge on the following charges:
- Felony, object sexual penetration - 50 years, with 25 suspended
- Felony, strangulation - 5 years
- Misdemeanor, domestic assault and battery - 12 months
The active terms of incarceration are to be served concurrently with a total active prison sentence of 25 years.
The suspended sentence of 25 years is conditioned upon Lorent submitting to and following the terms of supervised probation for five years upon his release, remaining on good behavior for 10 years, registering as a sex offender with state police, and having no contact with the victim.
We previously reported that in April 2019, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office was called to a residence on Little Creek Road for the report of a sexual assault. Police say a neighbor called 911 when the victim ran to his house, pleading for help.
[READ MORE: Man charged with sexually assaulting, attacking woman in Bedford County]
Lorent was not at the residence when deputies arrived at the scene and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The victim said that he took her cell phone when he left, so she went to a neighbor’s house to get help.
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney, the woman was eventually transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment, and the hospital found injuries consistent with sexual assault, strangulation and assault and battery.
Lorent was later found at a residence in Huddleston.