Published: March 14, 2008 09:58 am         

Oakland man to serve sex crime sentence in psychiatric facility

OAKLAND - An Oakland man convicted of rape and sodomy will serve 15 years in Patuxent Institution in Jessup, a forensic state psychiatric facility.

William Russell Lyons, 23, was sentenced recently in Garrett County Circuit Court by Judge James Sherbin to 30 years, with 15 of those years suspended.

Lyons received consecutive sentences of 20 years for second-degree rape and 10 years for sodomy. He also received a concurrent five-year sentence for second-degree assault.

Lyons was arrested March 10, 2007, after holding a woman, then 22, and her daughter, then 3, captive at his White Rock Road residence the day before. The pair escaped March 10.

Garrett County sheriff's deputies and Maryland State Police originally responded to a call for a domestic assault. Arriving at the White Rock Road residence, they found that the woman had already escaped.

The victim was brought to the sheriff's office by relatives who had helped her flee the residence. She told police that she had been repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted. Lyons also physically assaulted the little girl as well as the two relatives who had helped them escape.

The deputies located Lyons and arrested him. He then tried to escape police custody and led officers on a brief foot chase before being caught a second time.

In December, Lyons pleaded guilty to the charges and a presentence investigation was ordered at that time.

Stephan Moylan served as attorney for Lyons during the proceedings. Garrett County State's Attorney Lisa Thayer Welch served as prosecutor for the case.

Upon his release from prison, Lyons will be on probation and will have to register as a sexually violent offender.