A 37-year-old Florida man confessed to sexually assaulting a woman who was unconscious in an ambulance while he was working for fire rescue, according to detectives.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly referred to James Melady, a former Flagler County Fire Rescue employee, as a “predator” and a “pervert.” Daytona Beach Police Department detectives were investigating Melady for other cases when the video evidence surfaced.
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According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the video the Daytona Beach detectives found shows Melady was wearing his Flagler County Fire Rescue uniform when he was “violating the victim” on their way to a hospital on Oct. 17, 2021, in Palm Coast.
“It’s unfathomable to me what this predator did to an unconscious victim while on duty,” Staly said in a statement.
Melady had retired from Flagler County earlier this year when Flagler Detective Darrell Butler got a warrant for his arrest on Wednesday. Daytona Beach police officers arrested him on the Flagler County warrant and Volusia County correctional deputies booked him on Thursday without bond. Melady was extradited from Volusia County to Flagler County on Friday.
“It is likely there are other victims of his disgusting behavior,” Staly said.
Melady faced one count of sexual battery on a helpless person and one count of video voyeurism. Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases involving Melady to call 386-313-4911 or e-mail TIPS@FlaglerSheriff.com.