Cumberland man guilty of maiming boy

Todd Louis Lanford, 37, of 6614 Clinton Road, was sentenced to 33 to 44 years in prison.

Lanford was arrested in November 2008 after investigators determined that an 11-year-old Stedman boy had been punched, kicked and choked. The boy also suffered a 3-inch cut along his genitals and bruises to his groin and pelvic area, but he wasn't sexually assaulted, authorities said.

He walked out of plea negotiations in January, prompting a manhunt by U.S. marshals and other law enforcement officers. He was located a day later in a Clinton motel and proclaimed his innocence as he was led back to jail.

"I did what I had to do, because the whole time I heard, 'Take a plea. Take a plea. We know you didn't do it, but take a plea.' I will not take a plea for something I did not do," he said at the time, adding that he didn't expect to get a fair trial.

The boy's mother, Tonia Michelle Powers, 38, who was Lanford's girlfriend at the time, was charged with aiding and abetting a felony and accessory after the fact in the case. Her charges are still pending.

The boy lives with other relatives.