(Lake County, FL) Last week, Lake County jurors found the defendant, 42-year-old Christopher Lee England, guilty of Sexual Battery and Burglary of a Dwelling while Armed. After the verdict, the Honorable Judge Eddy, who presided over the case, determined the defendant met the legal qualifications of a Prison Releasee Reoffender and sentenced the defendant to Life in prison.

England was arrested in June of 2022 following a Mascotte Police Department investigation after law enforcement officials received a call from the victim indicating that England, who is known to them, entered their house and proceeded to sexually batter them.

During their investigation, officials learned that the victim awoke during the middle of the night to a masked figure holding a knife to their throat. The intruder then proceeded to play a recording with a distorted voice threatening the victim. During this, one of the two children who were also sleeping in the same bed with the victim began to awake. At that time, the intruder removed their mask, revealing their known identity to the victim.   

England then forced the victim alone into another separate room where he threatened to kill the victim and the victim’s family if they did not listen to him. He then proceeded to sexually batter the victim before fleeing. Detectives also learned that the defendant was released from prison just six months before this incident for a Kidnapping case involving the same victim in Polk County, FL.

An arrest warrant was issued for England. The United States Marshals Fugitive Task Force located him in Winter Haven, FL, and took him into custody after a brief standoff with law enforcement.

This case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Shannon Schlarf and Rachel Jones. 

Published on 05/19/2025.