Former Rep. Lukens Begins 30-Day Jail Sentence in Sex Offense Case

Former U.S. Rep. Donald E. (Buz) Lukens gave up his appeals Wednesday and began serving a 30-day jail term for having sex with a teen-age girl in 1988.

The 59-year-old Republican reported to the Franklin County jail about 30 minutes before a scheduled hearing.

Domestic Relations Judge Ronald Solove had scheduled the hearing to give Lukens the opportunity to post bond if he planned to pursue an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

But Lukens’ lawyer, Thomas Tyack, said the former congressman decided to go to jail because he did not have enough money to continue his appeal. Tyack said also that the high court probably would not have heard the case.

Lukens, who served four terms in Congress and once sought the GOP gubernatorial nomination, lost two previous appeals. A state appeals court upheld his conviction in June, and the Ohio Supreme Court rejected his appeal in November.

Lukens was sentenced to the jail term and fined $500 in June, 1989, after a jury convicted him of a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the unruliness of a minor. Lukens, who is divorced, paid 16-year-old Rosie Coffman $40 to have sex with him in his Columbus apartment.

Lukens resigned from Congress on Oct. 24, two days after the House Ethics Committee voted to investigate new charges of sexual misconduct against him. He was accused of making improper advances to a congressional employee.

In his appeals, Lukens had contended that Solove erred by barring testimony about the girl’s record of juvenile offenses.