Former NM Deputy Sheriff Convicted Of Sex Crime

Prosecutors say a former Lea County sheriff's deputy faces 18 years in prison after being convicted of a sex crime against a 9-year-old girl.

A verdict issued Friday by a jury in Lovington after six hours of deliberations convicts 62-year-old Danny Surratt of first-degree criminal sexual penetration of a minor.

Along with a prison sentence, Surratt faces lifetime parole with sex offender registration requirements and registration.

Surratt still awaits trial in a case involving a 16-year-old sister of the 9-year-old.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.