PONCE DE LEON (FL)
WPEC - CBS 12 [West Palm Beach FL]
November 12, 2026
By Eric Weiss
A 41-year-old pastor from Ponce de Leon was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading no contest to sexually battering a teenage boy, the State Attorney’s Office said.
Randon Lee Carroll also received a 15-year prison sentence for a separate charge of using a child in a sexual performance. Prosecutors said he recorded some of the sexual acts.
Carroll entered an open plea, leaving the sentence up to Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts. He was scheduled to go to trial in October on multiple charges.
At Tuesday’s sentencing, Holmes County Chief Prosecutor Jacob Cook asked Roberts to impose the maximum penalty. The State Attorney’s Office said Carroll testified that he had “fallen for it” and been “lured,” which Cook said was contrary to the evidence.
Holmes County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Bill Pate testified that the abuse occurred at Carroll’s home on May 16. Pate said Carroll admitted to committing the sexual acts when interviewed three days later. According to the State Attorney’s Office, details Carroll gave investigators matched the victim’s account.
The victim’s mother described the impact on the family in a written statement, saying the family’s religious beliefs made it especially difficult to learn that a pastor had abused her child.
“It takes a wicked person to do that,” she wrote. “There’s no way this is of God. This is pure evil.”
“I hope today’s sentence gives justice to the victim and his family,” Cook said. “Captain Bill Pate of the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office did a terrific job investigating this case. Due to his stellar work, we have permanently removed a monster from our community.”
State Attorney Larry Basford credited the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office investigation and said Carroll’s confession helped bring the case to a quick resolution.