Sumter man convicted of sexually assaulting a child

A Sumter County man was found guilty and sentenced in a child sexual assault case after a student reported the incident for sexual abuse.

Fredrick Leroy Connell, 66, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the Florida Department of Corrections.

This month, 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.”

Back on September 30, 2021, it was reported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) 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 to authorities numerous instances of sexual assault by Connell, revealing important details. Inspector Warren interviewed the defendant, who provided various information consistent with the victim’s account, but denied all allegations of sexual assault.

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.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Dan Geraghty and Sonny McCathran. The prosecutors expressed their sincere gratitude to Inspector Pam Warren and the staff of the Lake-Sumter Children’s Advocacy Center for their work on this case, despite the challenges presented by the time lag between the crime and its reporting.