A Sanford man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for molesting a relative who texted a friend for help and shared details while he still lurked nearby.

A Seminole County jury found RONALD L. JACKSON, 58, guilty as charged on May 5 of lewd or lascivious molestation and sexual battery of a victim between the ages of 12 and 18.

Evidence presented by prosecutors Martine McCarthy and Sarah Mian included screenshots of the instant messages the teenaged victim sent to her friend  in June 2024:

“Please get me help.”

“First he started touching on my butt.”

“Den he tried to make me have sex with him.”

“I feel scared.”

“He keeps watching my every move.”

Later, in an interview with Sanford Police investigators, Jackson confessed to the sexual abuse.  “Jackson stated he realized she was a child, so he stopped  on his own,” his arrest report says.

At a sentencing hearing May 18, Circuit Judge Jessica Recksiedler agreed with a motion by prosecutors and designated Jackson a sexual predator.