Sanford Police Investigate Viral Video of Alleged Stepfather Assaulting Girl

Sanford police confirm they are investigating a viral cellphone video showing what department officials called a “disturbing interaction” in which a man relatives identified as the child’s stepfather appears to grab and slam a young girl, then strike her again near a garage door, and investigators have prepared a case packet for the State Attorney’s Office. The footage surfaced online after a family visit in Sanford and Sanford police declined to release the video because of its sensitive content.

WESH footage descriptions and family accounts name the child’s aunt, Leondra Chapman, as the relative who confronted the man in the clip. The Sanford Police Department characterized the recording as a “disturbing interaction” and said it will not make the video public while it pursues the investigation.

Sanford police said the incident occurred during a visit to a relative’s home in Sanford and that the family later returned to their Lakeland area residence; “The Sanford Police Department received notification about this incident two hours after it occurred, and after the family had already left the area,” the department said, adding that “Had the family been on scene when officers arrived, an immediate arrest could have been made.” At Sanford’s request, the Lakeland Police Department conducted a welfare check shortly after midnight on Tuesday and reported that “Officers spoke with and examined the child and her mother. No injuries were seen, nor did the child complain of injury.”

Investigators in Sanford have compiled evidence and are preparing a complete packet to send to the State Attorney’s Office. The State Attorney’s Office requested a full case packet “to review prior to approving criminal charges,” and officials said the complete packet will be submitted to the State Attorney “tomorrow for review regarding the possible issuing of a warrant,” adding that “the matter will be turned over to the State Attorney’s Office at that time.”

Family members identified the man in the video as the girl’s stepfather and sources relayed that he had been employed by the Florida Department of Corrections. The FDC told WESH the man “is no longer employed as of Feb 17. and is currently under criminal investigation by the Office of Inspector General.” The Sanford probe is ongoing and, as of Feb. 23, 2026, no criminal charges tied to the alleged assault have been reported publicly.

The Sanford episode is distinct from a June 2024 gas-station incident that also drew scrutiny of Sanford police response. That earlier case involved 63-year-old Randal Lawton, who faces aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, resisting officers without violence, and kidnapping charges and was held on bond of $50,500; a body-camera video uploaded to a YouTube channel had nearly 1.3 million views, and Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said, “Unfortunately, this was the first time I, too, had viewed this footage,” adding, “I agree that the video prompts a need for a thorough review of the incident and the officer’s response.”

Sanford detectives say the Department of Children and Families has been notified and interviews have been conducted as part of the inquiry; investigators say they will turn their complete packet over to the State Attorney’s Office for review, and have emphasized that because of the video’s sensitive nature it will not be released publicly while the criminal and administrative inquiries continue.