In July 2014, an enraged father called 911 from his home in Daytona Beach,
Florida, asking for an ambulance for an unconscious 18-year-old whom he had just
brutally beaten. The unclear motive still raises questions about whether the man
did “the right thing.”
The crime.
It was 1 a.m. on July 18, 2014, when 35-year-old father Jason Browning was
returning home to Daytona Beach, Florida, after picking up some food. Once
inside the house, the man heard a strange noise coming from his son’s
bedroom. Upon opening the door, Browning was met with a shocking sight:
18-year-old Raymond Frolander, with his pants down, was engaging in a sexual
act with Browning’s son, who was only 11 years old.
Browning immediately beat Raymond senseless.
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| Jason Browning and his son. |
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| Raymond Frolander. |
The call.
After the beating, Browning called a 911 operator and told him:
“I just came across a grown man sexually abusing [name redacted]. And
I've got him lying in a bloody pool for you right now, officer.”
When the 911 operator asked the father if any weapons were involved, he
said: “My foot and my fist.”
“He's a nice guy, but I knocked him out and dragged him into the living
room. Call an ambulance. He's going to need one.”
The dispatcher asked, “Is he still unconscious?” to which the father
replied, “Yes... I hit him hard, sir.”
He said that Frolander was a “very lucky boy because I love my God.”
The father added,
“He stood up, his pants were around his ankles, and there was no need to
say anything else. I did everything I was entitled to do except kill
him.”
Revelations.
Once the Daytona Beach authorities and emergency services arrived at the
residence, Raymond was treated and taken to Halifax Health Medical Center
before being transported to the nearest police station, his face still swollen
from the beating he had received.
When Browning was questioned, he revealed that it was his son’s pleas that
stopped him from killing Raymond, as he had planned to stab him to death:
“It was my son who stood in front of me and stopped me. My son saved his
attacker's life, so who is really the hero in this situation?”
the father asked WKMG outside the Daytona Beach courthouse shortly after
Frolander's initial court appearance.
Browning admitted that he “just snapped” when he found Frolander naked
with his son. Shortly after beating the teenager into a coma, he went to the
kitchen and grabbed a knife. “I was going to kill him,” Browning said.
The Brownings considered Frolander part of the family, and he often spent time
with the 11-year-old boy, “looking after him.”
“It wasn't unusual to let the kids come into the bedroom and play video
games together, and now I have to wonder why the door was closed,”
said Mr. Browning.
When the boy was questioned, he told investigators that he had been playing
video games with friends, but when they left, Frolander took him into a back
room and pulled down his pants. He also said that Frolander had been abusing
him for three years.
Daytona Beach Police Chief Michael Chitwood told MailOnline that Frolander had
a close family connection to the alleged victim.
The boss said the young man was intimidated, and Frolander told him that
terrible things would happen if he revealed the abuse. Chief Chitwood said:
“He's 11 years old; he should be running around outside and playing video
games, not dealing with something like this.”
Subsequent events.
A few days later, Frolander, still covered in bruises and with a swollen face,
pleaded not guilty to sexual assault of a child after admitting to having
sexually abused the boy for three years. He later pleaded guilty (no contest)
to reduced charges of lewd and lascivious conduct to avoid a life sentence. In
April 2015, Raymond Frolander was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 25
years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Brown was not charged with any crime, and the police seemed to understand his
reaction.
“The father was acting like a father. I don't see anything we should charge
the father with,”
Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood told WFTS.
“You have an 18-year-old who clearly chose his target, planned it out, and
had sex with the victim several times.”
Browning's outrage stems from having been sexually abused as a child in a
foster home in California. He said that defeating Frolander was the easy part
and that much harder days lie ahead.
“I'm not going to pressure him in any way. I know exactly what he's going
through. When he's ready to talk about it, he will.”
“Reclaiming Innocence.”
Although the police initially defended Browning's actions, they later
criticized him for setting up a GoFundMe page asking for $1 million in
donations.
Originally titled “Rebuilding Innocence,” the fundraising page featured a
photo of his sleeping son and linked to the site's Facebook profile, according
to News-Journal Online
Browning wrote:
“We are reaching out to anyone who can help. Our son was sexually assaulted
(sic), and now we are facing the challenge of picking up the pieces; the
emotional and financial burden is more than we can bear... Please...
Anything helps... May God bless you and be with you all.”
After a donation of $145, the photo of the sleeping child was removed. The
headline was changed to “Help restore my son’s innocence,” and the amount
requested was reduced to $100,000.
The page was taken down in July 2014, just a few days after it was created.
Police Chief Mike Chitwood said he was saddened to learn that the father had
tried to profit from the situation. He told MailOnline:
“I was told about it, and I have to say I was quite surprised.”
“The police, investigators, and prosecutors are doing everything they can
to protect victims of sexual abuse. ‘I'm sure Mr. Browning's intentions are
in the right place, but this isn't good for the young man's
recovery.’”
Chief Chitwood also said he had hundreds of emails related to the case, many
from victims of sexual abuse and their families.
“Many of them said they wished someone (a father, a mother, an older
sibling) had come in while it was happening to them.”
