A Lake County man, previously convicted and released, has been given a life sentence for the reoffending acts of armed sexual battery and burglary. According to a report by WFTV, 42-year-old Christopher Lee England was sentenced under the designation of a Prison Releasee Reoffender, which Judge Eddy confirmed during the trial.
The victim had the unfortunate fate of encountering England again after reporting that in June 2022, the man broke into their home and sexually battered them. During this incident, the victim was awoken by a masked intruder, knife in hand, and subjected to a terrifying experience involving a distorted voice recording. England's identity was shockingly revealed to the victim after one of the two children sleeping in bed with the victim started to stir, WFTV reported.
This recent conviction comes after England's earlier release from prison, where he served time for a kidnapping case concerning the same victim in Polk County, as The Tampa Free Press reported. The ease of his relapse into criminal behavior highlights ongoing concerns about the safety and effectiveness of reintegration programs for convicted felons.
According to law enforcement officials, after a brief standoff, the case reached its conclusion when England was arrested by the United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Winter Haven, Florida. Assistant State Attorneys Shannon Schlarf and Rachel Jones spearheaded the prosecution, leading to England's life sentence.
