DOB: 12/14/1986

Case Number: 24 00914 CFFA

Former Flagler County Paramedic Convicted of Sexual Battery

BUNNELL – After a three-day trial, a Flagler County jury found defendant James Melady guilty of Sexual Battery by person 18 years or older on person 18 years or older.

In October 2021, Melady, a former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic, raped an unconscious patient in the back of an ambulance.

“The defendant not only abused our victim – he abused the position he held as a first responder,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case. “His sentence should reflect the damage he did to our victim and to the profession he shamed.”

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark successfully tried the case for the State. The Honorable Dawn Nichols presided over the case and will pronounce sentence at a later date. The defendant faces up to 15 years in prison for the crime.

Melady also has other charges pending in two unrelated cases, one in Flagler County and one in Volusia County.