A 67-year-old Charlotte man who once welcomed a young girl into his home as a foster child is now set to spend years in prison, after prosecutors say he repeatedly raped her and fathered her child while she was still a preteen.
Authorities say Lawrence Drumgoole sexually abused the girl starting when she was very young and continued the assaults into her teenage years. The abuse, prosecutors allege, led to a pregnancy when she was a preteen, and later lab work tied Drumgoole to the child. A Mecklenburg County judge handed down a multi-year prison sentence in March.
Drumgoole pleaded guilty to first-degree statutory rape and in March was sentenced to between 16 years and 20 years, 3 months in prison, according to Queen City News. Prosecutors say the Mecklenburg County district attorney’s office will also require him to register as a sex offender once he is released.
DNA Testing Linked Him To The Baby
Investigators say that DNA and paternity testing completed in 2024 confirmed Drumgoole is the biological father of the survivor’s child, according to The NC Beat. That match, based on lab analysis of samples from the survivor, her child and Drumgoole, became a key piece of evidence in the investigation and prosecution.
Public Records Show Local Ties
Public North Carolina records list a Lawrence Drumgoole at 311 Palmerton Ln in Waxhaw, in Union County, indicating local residence and ties to the area. The listing appears in an official state unclaimed-property report for Union County, a public record maintained by the North Carolina courts.
Survivor’s Account And Related Charges
According to Queen City News, prosecutors say the survivor was placed with the Drumgoole family in 2006 and was adopted around age 10. She later told authorities the abuse began when she was 7 years old and continued into her teens. The outlet reports she became pregnant at 12 and gave birth at 13. Drumgoole has denied the allegations, and prosecutors say he also faces separate, pending charges in Union County.
Legal Implications
North Carolina law requires people convicted of reportable sex offenses to register as sex offenders and sets the length of registration and monitoring rules, according to the state Department of Justice. Failure to register is itself a crime under state law, and officials said Drumgoole will be placed on the registry following his conviction and sentencing in the Mecklenburg County case.
