Late Thursday, a Snohomish County Superior Court jury found former Edmonds police officer Daniel Lavely guilty of having sex with a woman he had detained while on duty in May 2012.

His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 23. He faces up to a year in jail.

Jurors heard conflicting testimony over the past two weeks from Lavely and his alleged victim. In the end, it came down to which story best fit the evidence.

During the trial Lavely took the stand in his own defense, categorically denying having had sex with the woman. Instead, he told jurors that the woman propositioned him and he refused.

The 30-year-old woman testified that Lavely detained her in a motel room and drove her to a deserted Highway 99 parking lot near the Burlington Coat Factory where they engaged in sex.

In addition to testimony, the jurors heard evidence that cast considerable doubt on Lavely’s credibility. This included video footage from a convenience store security camera showing the victim in the store at the exact time Lavely testified he had dropped her at a bus stop, and police dispatcher records at variance with Lavely’s report about when he had picked up the woman. Lavely later admitted lying about this so as not to damage a future promotion.

After deliberating for two-and-a-half days, the jurors voted to convict Lavely of first-degree sexual misconduct, a class C felony. Under Washington State law (RCW 9A.44.160), “a person is guilty of custodial sexual misconduct in the first degree when the person has sexual intercourse with another person when the victim is being detained, under arrest, or in the custody of a law enforcement officer and the perpetrator is a law enforcement officer.”

When released from jail, Lavely will be required to register as a sex offender.

The 48-year-old Lavely joined the Edmonds Police Department in 2004. He was placed on administrative leave in May when these allegations surfaced. He resigned in January of this year.

— By Larry Vogel