A Deltona man who was already a registered sex offender was sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of molesting another child.
Robert Cole, 55, was found guilty of lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years of age. Cole has been a registered sex offender since 2001.
Circuit Judge Karen Foxman sentenced Cole to life in prison on Friday. The judge noted that Cole had already been convicted of a sex crime involving a minor before the latest case.
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Foxman also designated Cole a sexual predator.
Additionally, Cole pleaded to four counts of failure of a sex offender to properly register and was sentenced to an additional 20 years in prison.
The case began after a girl reported to her elementary school guidance counselor on Jan. 31, 2022, that Cole was inappropriately touching her while she slept. She told him to stop and she eventually fell back asleep, a charging affidavit stated.
But she woke up again to find that Cole was still touching her, the affidavit stated.
Cole had a previous conviction in 2001 on a lewd and lascivious charge involving a child under 16. He was ordered to register as a sex offender for that case on which he was released from supervision in 2011.
