Photo for Headline Surfer® / John Francis Roach is spending the rest of his life behind bars for his sexual assault on a pre-teen boy.
DELAND --A 60-year-old Deland man was sentenced Aug. 16 to Life in prison without the possibility of parole for sexually battering an 11-year-old boy.
The sentence handed down on John Francis Roach was for a Volusia County jury finding him guilty of one count of sexual battery on a person Less than 12 Years of Age, a capital felony; and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation by a person 18 Years of age or older on a person less than 12 years of age, a life felony.
The sentencing comes in at No. 94 in the Headline Surfer® countdown of the Top 100 Stories of 2013.
Assistant State Attorney James Disinger prosecuted Roach and said that the jury deliberated for less than two hours and the defendant was sentenced following the verdict.
Circuit Judge Margaret Hudson sentenced Roach to life in prison for the sexual battery count and 30 years for the lewd/lascivious molestation, boh sentences to run together. Roach was also designated a "sexual predator."
In 1987, the defendant was convicted of lewd assault on a child in Jacksonville and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.
In this case, Roach went into the 11-year-old victim's room to watch TV on or about Nov. 18, 2011. The mother went to check on her son and noticed the door was closed. The mother opened the door and saw the defendant sexually abusing the boy and reported the sexual battery.
In this case, Roach went into the 11-year-old victim's room to watch TV on or about Nov. 18, 2011. The mother went to check on her son and noticed the door was closed. The mother opened the door and saw the defendant sexually abusing the boy and reported the sexual battery.
Counting 'em down: Headline Surfer® Ranking of the Top 100 Stories of 2013
RECAP:
94. DeLand man, 60, sentenced to life in prison for sexually battering 11-year-old boy
95. Volusia County GOP leader Tony Ledbetter named to key Florida Republican post
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97. Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis waves green flag to start 2013 Daytona 500
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100. VCSO: $9,000 worth of cigarettes stolen from DeBary convenience store in September