BY DAN HILDEBRAN
A 26-year-old Lake Butler man was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading to sexual battery on a victim 18 or older with special circumstances.
Randall Fitzhugh Howard was arrested in February 2023 for four counts of the felony. Prosecutors dropped three counts after the defendant pleaded to one count.
Judge Mitchell Bishop also designated the defendant as a sexual predator.
According to a sworn complaint, the victim told a senior case coordinator at the University of Florida’s Child Protection Team that Howard first molested her and then raped her four times over four days.
“Each time (the victim) would tell Howard to stop, but he would tell her that it was all right and continued having sex with her,” wrote Union Sheriff Sergeant Charles Townsend in the complaint. “(The victim) was afraid to push Howard away because she believed he has a violent temper.”
Townsend added that the victim is mentally defective as defined by Florida Statutes.
“(The victim’s) level of cognitive functioning compromises her decision-making ability, including her ability to consent to sexual activities,” the sergeant wrote. “Howard knew or should have known (the victim) suffered from some type of mental illness but continued to encourage or entice (the victim) to participate in this inappropriate activity.”
In a letter to Bishop, the defendant’s mother told the judge that her son has an expressive and receptive language disorder.
“He misinterprets what people say,” the mother wrote. “He doesn’t understand or comprehend on an adult level. He is very gullible and trusts people out of the need to be liked and have friends.”
She added that according to her son, the sex with the victim was consensual, and he pleaded guilty because of a recommendation from his public defender.
“My son is not violent and has never hurt anyone except himself because he gets frustrated about his disabilities,” she wrote.
