The Shadow
On August 28, 2023, in the Alleghany County Circuit Court, Thomas Michael Lehrmann, 50, of Lynchburg, was sentenced to 50 years in prison to be suspended after serving a 13-year active sentence for computer solicitation of a minor.
Lehrmann pled guilty to two counts of using a computer or other electronic means to solicit a person he believed to be a minor under the age of 15.
Alleghany County/City of Covington Commonwealth’s Attorney, Ann Gardner, summarized the evidence against Lehrmann for the Court.
Sgt. Jeremy Morris of the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office intercepted Lehermann’s electronic messages soliciting a person Lehrmann believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The predatory messages included detailed proposals to engage in sexual activity. Lehrmann arranged to meet his intended victim in Covington.
On May 11, 2023, Lehrmann drove from Lynchburg to Alleghany County expecting to meet his victim. When he arrived in Covington, however, Lehrmann was met instead by Sgt. Morris and a team of law enforcement officers from the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office, Covington Police Department and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. He was promptly arrested and taken into custody.
Once released from prison, Lehrmann will remain on probation for the balance of 50 years. He is further court-ordered to have no unsupervised contact with minors and is prohibited from social media or internet use. Lehrmann will be required to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes against Minors Registry.
