Sumter County man sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing a child

A Sumter County man will spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually abusing a child.

Prosecutors announced that 66-year-old Fredrick Leroy Connell of Bushnell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the Florida Department of Corrections.

Last week, a Sumter County jury found Connell guilty of sexual abuse of a person under the age of 12. Connell’s charges stem from his 2021 arrest, during which investigators revealed he sexually abused a child from 2013 to 2015.

“Acts like this will not go unpunished in our district,” said Fifth Judicial District Attorney Bill Gladson. “I commend this brave child for speaking up and telling a trusted adult what happened. You have undoubtedly saved future victims from this perpetrator.”

In September 2021, it was reported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office that Connell had sexually abused a child. School officials reported that a student disclosed sexual abuse following a presentation in E3 Family Solutions’ health class. The victim was interviewed by officials for further investigation and the case was assigned to Inspector Pam Warren.

During the forensic interview at the Lake Sumter Children’s Advocacy Center, the victim described numerous instances of sexual abuse by Connell to authorities, revealing important details. Inspector Warren interviewed Connell, who revealed various information consistent with the victim’s account, but denied all allegations of sexual abuse.

Inspector Warren interviewed several parties to the case and developed probable cause for Connell’s arrest. Connell was arrested on December 29, 2021 and transported to the Sumter County Detention Center.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Dan Geraghty and Sonny McCathran.