A Santa Rosa County jury recently found Milton resident Richard Allen Coonrod guilty of two counts of lewd or lascivious battery, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins office. Coonrod was sentenced to 30 years in the Department of Corrections and designated as a sexual predator.
The conviction stems from an incident on July of 2013, when Coonrod, a registered sex offender, picked up a 13-year-old boy at a local gas station. According to the press release, Coonrod told the boy that he needed some yard work done at his residence on Savannah Drive in Milton. The press release states the boy, who had done yard work for Coonrod in the past, agreed to do the work.
Upon arriving to the residence, Coonrod allegedly took the boy into his bedroom, locked the door, and engaged in sexual acts with him, the press release said. During this time, Coonrod’s roommate unexpectedly returned to the residence and heard the activity taking place. The roommate attempted to open the locked door to the room, but was unable to do so. According to the press release, the roommate then left the residence and contacted the child abuse hotline.
An investigation was conducted by the Milton Police Department and Coonrod was arrested on August 18, 2014.
Coonrod was designated as a sexual offender in 1985 after being convicted of committing a lewd or lascivious act upon a child, the press release said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton resident sentenced to 30 years for sexual battery