Trial begins for one of two men accused of sexual abuse of teen in 2013

A trial began Wednesday in Lane County Circuit Court for the 30-year-old Junction City man allegedly involved in the sexual abuse of a minor with prominent Portland real estate developer and civil rights activist Terry Bean.

The trial for Kiah Loy Lawson is expected to last three days, according to the court docket. He is charged with third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of third-degree sodomy.

Lawson is currently serving time in state prison after a July conviction of three counts of unlawful use of a vehicle and a single count of second-degree burglary. He was brought to the Lane County JailSept. 5 ahead of the trial.

Lawson and Bean were accused of having an illegal sexual encounter with a 15-year-old boy in a Eugene motel in 2013. In 2015, however, the case was dropped after the victim refused to testify, allegedly because Bean had "settled" with the victim.But the case was reopened earlier this year when a secret indictment was filed Jan. 4. Bean faces identical charges. His trial is scheduled for Nov. 13.

Bean -- who founded the Human Rights Campaign, a leading national gay rights organization -- was first recognized for his activism in the 1970s when he helped persuade the Eugene City Council to pass an ordinance barring discrimination based on sexual orientation.Bean later moved to Portland and became a known figure in national Democratic Party politics. The Willamette Week newspaper reported in 2014 that Bean had raised more money to support President Obama than any other Oregonian.

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