Burglary Investigation Leads To Child Sex Charges Against Deltona Man

Date Added: February 14, 2020 10:36 am

Andrew Gant
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations

BURGLARY INVESTIGATION LEADS TO CHILD SEX CHARGES AGAINST DELTONA MAN

A Deltona man is charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse of a child after a burglary case at his home led Volusia Sheriff's Office detectives to discover his habit of repeatedly contacting a teenager on Grindr for sex.

Randall C. Allen, 63, a retired corrections officer from Illinois, was arrested Thursday night as a result of a sex abuse investigation and sting operation that stemmed from a burglary investigation.

Deputies responded to Allen's home on Giovanni Street on the evening of Jan. 14 after he reported his home was burglarized. Allen told detectives he had received a text message from a person he met on Grindr asking him to meet at Walmart. Allen went to Walmart, and while he was there, he got an alert from his home security system that someone was at his front door, and he watched the burglary unfold. Through the course of that investigation, it was learned that Allen was having sexual contact with a juvenile.

As the investigation continued, detectives learned the boy had been to Allen's home at least a dozen times dating back to when he was 14 years old, that he had been sexually abused by Allen on multiple occasions, and that Allen knew his age. The boy said Allen told him if he was ever caught, to lie to the police and say he'd told Allen he was 18.

Detectives found probable cause to charge Allen with six counts of lewd or lascivious battery. Then, on Thursday, detectives conducted an undercover chat operation with Allen, during which he requested to meet up with the minor for sex again. Allen traveled to meet the victim at a Burger King, where he was arrested on the six counts along with additional charges of traveling to meet a minor, attempted lewd or lascivious battery and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.

Separately, the 15-year-old victim was charged with various crimes he committed in four separate cases at Allen's home. His charges are conspiracy, armed burglary and grand theft of a firearm in the burglary described above; grand theft of a motor vehicle in a second case; vehicle burglary and attempted grand theft of a motor vehicle in a third case; and grand theft of a firearm in a fourth case from July of last year. In that case, Allen reported a gun stolen from his home after he hosted an open house party that was advertised as offering anonymous sex. Because of the large number of party guests coming and going anonymously, there were initially no suspects in the theft.

Two others were arrested in connection to different aspects of these cases. A juvenile accomplice was charged with conspiracy, armed burglary and grand theft of a firearm in the burglary of Allen's house while Allen was at Walmart. A third suspect, 19 years old, was charged with conspiracy, armed burglary, grand theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft of a firearm, interference with custody and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for his role in the events.

Allen remained held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on $215,000 bail Friday morning.