Mystic Man Pleads Guilty To Lesser Charge In Sexual Assault Case

A Mystic man pleaded guilty in New London Superior Court Thursday to risk of injury to a minor in a sexual assault case involving a young Groton girl.

James Lanyon, 47, of 250 Heather Glenn Lane, is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18.  Under the plea agreement, he would serve four and a half years of a 15-year jail sentence, then remain on probation and on the sex offender registry for 10 years.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit in the case, a girl told a school guidance counselor on June 10, 2010, that she had been sexually abused for several years.

The girl said the sexual abuse began when she was in third grade and continued until the end of sixth grade, the affidavit said.

She said she had sexual encounters with Lanyon three to four times a week during those years, the affidavit said. Lanyon pleaded not guilty to first-degree sexual assault.