A Brandon man will serve an additional 10 years behind bars after he assaulted a law enforcement officer when attempting to escape custody following his conviction for child sex crimes.
54-year-old Franky Lee Lover, Sr. was found guilty of sexual battery of a child and gratification of lust in October of 2024 by a Rankin County jury.
After the conviction, Lovern tried to grab a deputy’s gun when he was being handcuffed by the officer, sparking a hallway struggle. Lovern was quickly subdued by Rankin County Sheriff’s deputies, preventing the escape.
“If it were not awful enough that this defendant stole the innocence of the child he molested, he compounded his disgusting behavior by attempting to grab a gun and escape from custody just outside the very doors where justice was returned,” Madison and Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett said. “We are grateful the deputy and his fellow officers reacted quickly to alleviate the threat. I thank the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department for their bravery as they protected our judicial system that day.”
Lovern was charged with attempted escape and simple assault on a law enforcement officer as a result of the altercation. Tuesday, he was sentenced to two concurrent terms of five years in state prison, the maximum sentence for each crime. The 10 years will be served consecutively to the 30-year sentence Lovern was handed for the child sex crimes.
