(Vernon, CT) – Matthew C. Gedansky, Tolland Judicial District State’s Attorney, and Sharmese L. Walcott, Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney, announced that the Honorable Kathleen E. McNamara today sentenced James Lanier, age 36, previously of Vernon, to 25 years in prison, execution suspended after 12 years served, and 20 years of probation.
On December 13, 2024, Lanier pleaded guilty in Rockville Superior Court to one count of Sexual Assault in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-70(a)(2), in cases arising out of the Tolland Judicial District, and one count of Sexual Assault in the First Degree, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-70(a)(2), and two counts of Illegal Sexual Contact with a Minor, in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-21(a)(2), in cases arising out of the Hartford Judicial District. Lanier also was issued three Standing Criminal Protective Orders, one on behalf of each victim. Lanier also will be required to register with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry as a sex offender for life.
The investigations into the defendant began in March 2022 when an 11-year-old female in Vernon disclosed to her mother that Lanier began sexually assaulting her when she was 8 years old and that the sexual assaults continued until she was 11. The Vernon Police Department began an investigation immediately and located strong evidence supporting the victim’s disclosure and for the arrest of Lanier for the crimes committed in Vernon. During the Vernon police investigation, detectives developed information about additional sexual assault victims in the towns of East Hartford and Manchester. Police in Vernon, East Hartford, and Manchester then began to work collaboratively to investigate. Vernon police and East Hartford police learned that Lanier sexually assaulted a minor female in East Hartford from 2016 to 2018, beginning when she was 5 years old up, until she was 8. Vernon police and Manchester police developed information that Lanier sexually assaulted another minor female in Manchester when the victim was 9 years old.
State’s Attorney Gedansky and State’s Attorney Walcott wish to commend the victims and their families for coming forward and providing valuable information to police. “By coming forward, police were able to arrest a dangerous sexual predator,” State’s Attorney Gedansky and State’s Attorney Walcott said. “He is now being punished for his actions. Tools, such as the Sex Offender Registry, are in place to prevent future harm to children by Lanier. The victims have shown incredible strength as they begin their healing process.”
The investigation into Lanier was spearheaded by Detective Cody Flanigan of the Vernon Police Department, who worked collaboratively with Detective Briahna Martin of the East Hartford Police Department and Detective Tomasz Kaczerski of the Manchester Police Department. This case was jointly prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Jaclyn Preville and Assistant State’s Attorney Stacey Cox.