Officer begins jail sentence

MIAMI (WSVN) -- A state trooper accused of writing fake traffic tickets has been sent to prison.

Paul Lawrence surrendered to the court Thursday morning to start his year-long sentence. The former Florida Highway Patrol officer was convicted on several counts of falsifying records and official misconduct.

In February, the 12-year veteran was arrested after an investigation revealed he wrote nearly 100 fake traffic citations. The state voided many of those citations.

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