LENT GETS 45-TO-LIFE

Published in the January 18, 2025 edition.

Paul Samuel Lent, 44, of Susanville was sentenced Tuesday afternoon in Mono County Superior Court in Bridgeport for felony sex crimes he committed against children under the age of 14. 

Each of the three felonies to which he pled guilty carries a 15 year-to-life sentence. Superior Court Judge Gerry Mohun ruled that the sentences would run consecutively, one after the other, for a total of 45 years. 

At maximum, he can get 15% time credit for good behavior, so the earliest he could be released is the year 2063, given time already served. 

Lent was arrested on May 30, 2024.

He was arraigned days later on a total of 13 felony counts of sexual acts with a child under the age of 14. These acts occurred in the Bridgeport area during the summer of 2006.

During the course of the investigation, it was discovered that there were potentially other victims in the Bridgeport and/or Susanville areas spanning decades, possibly as far back as the early 2000s.

On Tuesday, one of Lent’s victims, Joye Lehen, his niece, made a statement to the court. 

Lehen, a 2016 Lee Vining High School grad, said she endured her uncle’s first assault when she was just five years old. 

This has led to a lifetime of trauma. “I have nightmares to this day,” she said. “My sleep is not restful.”

She described being sent home from elementary school multiple times during her childhood because she was crying uncontrollably and couldn’t explain why. 

She described being suicidal and not being able to get through community college. “I never had respect for myself, my body … my body didn’t even feel like my own. I still feel the hands on me.” 

She ultimately had to break away from her family to seek justice, reporting the crimes without their support. 

As Judge Mohun said, “She told her family and nothing happened.” This allowed Lent to prey upon others for years after. “The family protected this monster,” said Mohun. “This is just a horrific case.” 

When asked if he would like to say a few words, Lent said, “I regret what I did. Let justice be done.”