KETCHIKAN — A mayor in Southeast Alaska received a 10-day suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution.
Klawock Mayor Lawrence Armour pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge Wednesday in court on Prince of Wales Island, the Ketchikan Daily News reported.
The 36-year-old mayor electronically sent $400 to a woman on New Year’s Day, asking her to come to his residence for sex, according to court documents. Craig police obtained a copy of their communication on Facebook Messenger.
“The person took the money and just kept the money,” Ketchikan District Attorney Timothy McGillicuddy told the court. “There was no follow-through conduct that happened here.”
When questioned earlier this month, Armour told police he asked for sexual favors and made the payment, according to the documents.
“The defendant was remorseful and indicated that he had been drinking prior to the Facebook interaction, and he had made a mistake,” Craig Police Chief RJ Ely wrote in the probable cause statement.
Armour told the court that he went to emergency counseling and is planning to enter a treatment program.
“This is not behavior that you want to model for youth or the community,” Magistrate Judge Kay Clark told Amour. “I think that people make mistakes, and this was a mistake. It is telling what people do after a mistake and in this case, you were quick to come forward and take responsibility for your behavior, and I think that deserves some weight.”
Armour was also sentenced to six months of probation and fined $1,000. Half the fine amount was suspended upon completion of a substance abuse treatment program.
• This is an Associated Press report.
