A Seminole County judge sentenced 64-year-old Randal Lee Lawton to eight and a half years in prison this week for luring a RaceTrac gas station clerk into a men's bathroom and slashing her face, neck and chin with a box cutter — an attack that later exposed a separate scandal after body camera footage showed responding officers hesitating outside the locked door for nearly five minutes while the victim screamed for help.
The attack happened around 5 a.m. on June 1, 2024, at the RaceTrac located at 3760 South Orlando Drive near U.S. Highway 17-92 and Lake Mary Boulevard in Sanford, according to WFTV. As reported by WKMG ClickOrlando, Lawton shoved the clerk to the ground and held her hostage in the bathroom, calling her “Eve” and telling her, “You are sorry for your sins, Eve.” A customer and a co-worker called police once they realized what was happening inside.
The clerk fought back during the struggle, suffering severe defensive cuts on her left hand as she grabbed the blade of the box cutter to try to stop Lawton, according to the Office of the State Attorney for the 18th Judicial Circuit. She also lost a tooth and sustained facial and neck lacerations before police eventually busted down the bathroom door, per ClickOrlando's report.
Officers Waited Outside While Victim Screamed
What happened on the other side of that door didn't become public until nearly a year later. Body camera footage released in 2025 showed Sanford police officers waiting outside the locked bathroom for close to five minutes before breaking it down, with one officer describing the narrow hallway as “a setup” while the victim could be heard screaming for help inside, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
The department's Active Assailant Response Policy requires officers to immediately advance and engage an active threat without waiting for backup, regardless of how many officers are on scene, per the same station's reporting. The delay directly conflicted with that standard, prompting an administrative investigation once the footage surfaced.
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said he was unaware of the delayed response for nine months until the bodycam video was posted online by the YouTube channel EWU Bodycam in March 2025. WFTV reported that field supervisors had held an internal debrief on the incident at the time but never formally reported the mishandled response up the chain of command, leaving the chief in the dark until the footage went public.
Two Officers Resign, One Suspended
The fallout from the investigation was swift. Senior responding Officer Dominick Delorbe resigned while facing termination, a second officer resigned after making disparaging online comments about Lawton's mental health, and a junior probationary officer received a five-day suspension without pay, according to FOX 35 Orlando's reporting on the internal findings.
At the time of his June 2024 arrest, Lawton had no prior criminal record on file in Seminole County. He ultimately pleaded no contest to kidnapping, aggravated battery and resisting an officer without violence, per ClickOrlando.
Insanity Defense Rejected Before Sentencing
Lawton's public defender filed notice in June 2025 to mount an insanity defense, after a medical expert reported that Lawton suffered from a neurological disorder brought on by chronic alcohol abuse that could induce psychosis. Circuit Judge Michael Rudisill ultimately found Lawton competent to stand trial following a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Kidnapping is classified as a first-degree felony under Florida Statutes § 787.01, carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to the Sammis Law Firm. Judge Rudisill sentenced Lawton on August 19 to eight and a half years in prison, followed by two years of GPS-monitored probation, and gave him credit for the 810 days he had already spent in the Seminole County jail awaiting trial since his 2024 arrest, per the State Attorney's Office. As part of his probation, Lawton will be required to undergo a psychological evaluation after completing his prison sentence and to accept any follow-up treatment recommended.
