A Cayuga County Sheriff's deputy has been arrested on rape and child endangerment charges after State Police said he had multiple sexual encounters with a victim under the age of 17 over an extended period of time.
State Police said Hunter R. Lawrence, 25, of Auburn, was arrested July 3 following an investigation into what police described as an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
Lawrence was charged with two counts of second-degree rape, a class D felony; two counts of third-degree rape, a class E felony; and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, according to State Police.
Police said the alleged incidents occurred while the victim was at different ages, resulting in multiple charges under state law. State Police said there are no allegations that the conduct occurred while Lawrence was on duty.
Lawrence was processed at State Police in Homer and taken to the Cortland County Jail for centralized arraignment. The investigation remains ongoing.
Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said Lawrence has worked for the Sheriff's Office since June 16, 2023, and was assigned to the Road Patrol Division as a deputy sheriff.
Schenck said Lawrence was placed on paid administrative leave effective July 3 and relieved of all law enforcement duties, including the authority to carry a department-issued firearm or exercise police powers, pending the criminal case and an internal administrative investigation.
The Sheriff's Office said it is cooperating with State Police and has opened its own administrative investigation to determine whether department policies, procedures or standards of conduct were violated. Schenck said no further information would be released while the criminal and administrative investigations continue.
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