He also was charged with raping a second girl on Friday.
Lawrence Williams, who became a foster parent last year, was charged with sexual battery on a person under 12 years of age, punishable by a mandatory life in prison. Williams was also charged with lewd/lascivious molestation by a person 18 or older on a victim under 12, which is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Williams was also charged on Friday with additional charges of capital sexual battery and lewd and lascivious molestation on a different child who was also under 12 years old. Williams was served with the no bond warrant on the new charges at the Volusia County Branch Jail.
Jul 22, 2021 | 7:21 PM
Holly Hill, FL – The Holly Hill Police arrested 50-year-old Lawrence Williams, a foster parent, on Tuesday, July 20, on one charge of Sexual Battery on a Person Less than 12 Years of Age and another of Lewd/Lascivious Molestation on a Person Between Ages 12 and 18. Though the warrant was no-bond, Volusia County Judge Wesley Heidt set bond at $85,000, which Williams was able to pay, bonding out about 28 hours after being booked. The Holly Hill Police Department (HHPD) wants the bond revoked saying that one person involved in the foster process did note that Williams was extremely anxious to foster children and wanted to foster younger white females. An investigation was launched in late May after a tip came into the Florida Department of Children and Families hotline in late May. When the investigation began, there were six foster children living with the suspect and his wife. Records show the couple had been fostering since March 2020 so many others m
Mar 2, 2021 4:49 PM Daytona Beach, FL - The Fifth District Court of Appeals has ruled to uphold the 2019 convictions of 63-year-old Mark Fugler, who was found guilty of nine felony counts of sexual misconduct with a minor. I hope the Victim and family find some solace in the fact that the defendant will serve a lengthy prison sentence for his crimes, said State Attorney R.J. Larizza, who was part of the fight to keep Fugler in prison, along with Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood. Fugler was initially adjudicated guilty in June 2019 and was sentenced to 15 years in a state prison just two months after. However, a month after his sentencing, Fugler was granted a $200,000 bond while his convictions were under appeal. That same month, local lawmakers Senator Tom Wright and Representative Tom Leek began to draft legislation that prohibited bail to specified offenders pending review following conviction of a sex crime involving a minor that required registering for an
By - Associated Press - Wednesday, March 3, 2021
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) - An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former college professor on child porn charges, officials said.
Mark Fugler, 63, was convicted in June 2019 on charges of showing pornography and his genitals to a 7-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison, but later released on $200,000 bond while appealing his case.
His release sparked outrage from Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood and the girl’s family, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reported.
TOP STORIES