Steele gets 180 days for statutory rape

A Memphis man who had sex with a local teen after meeting her over the Internet will serve 180 days in jail for statutory rape.

The defendant, Lorenzo Steele, 25, was ordered to serve 180 days of a four-year sentence on two counts of statutory rape. He was also warned to have no future contact with the 16-year-old victim and must register himself with the state’s sexual offender registry.

His sentence comes after he had sexual relations with the teen on several occasions, at one point taking the girl to Murfreesboro with him for a day on the town. Steele was arrested following the Murfreesboro trip when he returned to the girl’s home where police were waiting. The girl had skipped school for the trip and had been reported missing by her mother.

In his defense, Steele said the girl told him she was 18. Steele admitted he also lied to the girl about his age, saying he was younger than 25.

Lawmen learned the pair had met through MySpace.com and had chatted for a short time before Steele started making regular pilgrimages from Memphis to McMinnville for sex with the teen.

Investigators said Steele, a security guard, would sometimes sneak into the girl’s window and have sex with her in her room, at one point hiding in the teen’s closet when her mother came home. Lawmen say Steele would generally visit while the girl’s mother was at work, suggesting he knew the girl was underage.

In addition to the sexual contact, Steele admitted sending the girl pictures of his private parts prior to their meeting for consensual sex. Steele’s defense maintained the girl had met other adult men over the Internet.