MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) – A Miami Gardens track coach accused of crossing the line with a 13-year-old student athlete was sentenced to 50 years in state prison and 10 years of probation.

The sentencing of Darius Lawshea was handed out at a Miami courtroom, early Tuesday afternoon. Lawshea, the founder of the Miami Gardens Express track club pled not guilty.

“Are you pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty or you believe this plea is in your best interest?” said Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson.

“I’m not guilty,” said Lawshea.

“Well then, I’m not accepting the plea,” Wolfson responded.

Lawshea refused a plea deal for six outstanding cases against him.

This all stems from an incident where, prosecutors said, the 50-year-old used this authority to sexually assault the victim.

“He destroyed a lot of young girl’s lives,” said Tracey Mills, the victim’s mother. “It was really horrible that he was not taking accountability for what he actually did, he did not show any remorse.”

Mills appeared in court as Lawshea spoke about his innocence, as he refused to admit any wrongdoing.

“I would never do anything to hurt her,” he said.

While other victims came forward following his arrest in 2020, the sentence was given in connection to the 13-year-old girl.

Before a jury found him guilty in February, Lawshea’s defense attorney said this case was built on inconsistencies, with the testimony of the victims supposedly evolving and changing over time.

However, prosecutors argued that Lawshea, known in the community as “Coach D,” used his authority and stature as a community leader when he took advantage of the girls he was coaching.

“Because the fact that he has no remorse shows that he could not be rehabilitated,” said a prosecutor.

Lawshea faced charges of sexual abuse of a child and two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation.

“Mr. Lawshea engaged in some of the most egregious manipulation of a vulnerable young girl. Quite frankly, it sickens me,” said Wolfson.

Lawshea also faces charges in six other cases as well. Those cases have yet to go to trial.

Back in June of 2012, a mother had told police that she felt communication between the coach and her teenage daughter was out of line, and that’s when she alerted authorities.

It’s unclear whether or not Lawshea’s attorneys plan to appeal this sentence.

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