A formerly trusted foster father and church volunteer faces 24 counts of sexual battery after two victims made shocking accusations. Florida resident Daniel Lamppin, 40, allegedly used his power as a foster parent to gain access to underage girls to abuse them. Osceola County Sheriff Marco LopezĀ addressed the media in a news briefing detailing accusations against Lamppin. The suspect now sits in jail without bond, awaiting his trial.
According to Lopez, a victim, now 15, came forward in November 2024 claiming Lamppin abused her while acting as her foster parent from ages 6 to 8. The teen cited three instances of sexual abuse and one of physical abuse.
During the course of the investigation, police found another victim. A now-adult woman alleged Lamppin sexually abused her while she lived in his foster home for an extended period.
“The family disclosed he began abusing her within days of moving into the home. The sexual abuse started at the age of 16 and continued for years,” Lopez explained.
During the press briefing, Lopez said Lamppin had access to minors as both a foster parent and through his job as a manager at Chick-fil-A. He urged anyone with information about Lamppin to contact police.
āBased on his contact and with these children at the time, and through his work foster care, and as a youth pastor, there’s a concern that there could be additional victims,ā Lopez said.
Connection Church shared a statement with WESH clarifying Lamppin’s relationship with the organization.
“The Connection Church acknowledges that an investigation involving allegations related to Daniel Lamppin is currently underway. We want to assure our congregation and the broader community that The Connection Church is fully cooperating with all authorities involved in this process and have already spoken to the lead investigator on this case. For clarity, Daniel Lamppin is not a volunteer youth pastor at the Connection Church.
Our priority remains the well-being of everyone connected to our church community. We are committed to fostering a safe, accountable, and Christ-honoring environment for worship, service, and fellowship.
We ask for your prayers during this time ā for those directly impacted, for our church leadership, and for the truth to prevail.”
Lopez expressed his frustration with the case and Lamppin’s apparent double life.
“It’s sad and It’s sickening, you know, because you got a restaurant with a very good reputation, some real big Christian values, and then this guy infiltrates that, and now he infiltrates it as a youth pastor under a church blanket ā these monsters exist,” he said.
According to WFTV, Lamppin has a wife and 16-year-old son. The family did not have any foster children living in their home at the time of Lamppin’s arrest. Per online jail records, Lamppin is in the custody of the Osceola County Corrections Department and held without bail.
Anyone with information should contact the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office at 407-348-2222.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline atĀ 1-800-422-4453Ā (1-800-4-A-Child), or go toĀ Childhelp.org. The hotline isĀ available 24/7.
