Ex-convict sentenced to 495-years in prison now a preacher

An ex-convict Ron Adkins, who was once sentenced to 495 years in prison is now spreading the word of the Lord and baptizing the prison population he used to live among. Also, he has built a remarkable friendship with the judge who jailed him.

Ron Adkins crimes

Reports say, Adkins received a 495-year prison sentence in 1997, after being found guilty of several home burglaries. He received 99 years for each of the five counts on which he was charged and picked up an additional five-year sentence for possession of an unauthorized cell phone. A district judge at the time, Robert Newsom upheld Adkins conviction. Little did either man know, they would one day cross paths again. He was 22 then.

Now, Adkins is extremely grateful to God for the second chance he has been given to rewrite his legacy and, through the mercy of God, the legacy of those he touches with his service.

How Ron Adkins got converted

With seemingly no hope of ever being a free man again, Adkins lashed out - joining a prison gang, racking up some 250 violations, and even ending up in solitary confinement for 13 years. He found himself alone and suicidal, but a worn-out Bible he had neglected for years ultimately became his saving grace.

“Half the pages were missing because I had been using it for rolling papers. I had been smoking cigarettes with Bible papers,” Adkins said in an interview with CBN. “All that was left of the Bible was the New Testament.

“But in reading those remaining pages, I came to learn about God’s love and grace. I decided to quit the gang and joined a prison’s Bible study group. I began taking ministry courses.

“I began to display good behavior and received a surprise parole hearing, which was initially projected for 2095.

“In the very place where I was sentenced to die in prison, God’s going to use us to bring dead things back to life - And that’s what He’s doing. In the jail, in the worship nights, in the prayer meetings: He’s just bringing dead things back to life.

“I was released from prison in May 2015. I found a job and I continued to grow in faith, sharing my wonderful story with churches and at criminal justice reform conferences. That was where and how I met my wife Dawn Knighton, a former felon turned Christian counselor,” Adkins said.

Adkins now works with the local Hopkins County Sheriff’s Department to meet with inmates and share his redemption story. He and his wife have even baptized some of the prisoners and jail staff.