Former Chaplain Found Guilty of Lewd or Lascivious Battery and Sexual Battery

June 30, 2017

Fort Walton Beach, FL – A former Chaplain of the Abundant Life Church in Fort Walton Beach has been found guilty of Lewd or lascivious Battery and Sexual Battery and faces 30 years in prison.

According to a press release from Bill Eddins, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit, a jury found Larry Michael Thorne guilty of Lewd or Lascivious Battery of a victim 12 years of age or older, but under the age of 18 and Sexual Battery of a victim 12 years of age or older, but under the age of 18.

Judge William F. Stone presided over the trial and set sentencing for August 24, 2017. The defendant was remanded to the Okaloosa County Jail pending his sentencing.

Mr. Thorne faces up to 30 years in the Department of Corrections, will also be designated as a Sexual Offender and be required to register as such for the remainder of his life.

The jury heard evidence that between January 2012 and November 2014, Mr. Throne repeatedly sexually assaulted the victim starting when she was 14 years of age and continuing until she was 17 years of age. This sexual molestation included sexual intercourse. These criminal acts occurred repeatedly in the defendant’s home in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

The jury also heard evidence from two earlier victims that had been subjected to the same pattern of conduct and sexual molestation when they were in their teens.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation, with the assistance of the Department of Children and Families and Children’s Advocacy Center personnel, and made the arrest. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Christine Bosau.

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