AfriPulse
James Melady has been handed a decade-long prison sentence following his conviction for sexually assaulting a woman in the back of an ambulance in Flagler County.
FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — On Monday afternoon, a former paramedic from Flagler County received a 10-year prison term. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious patient while in the back of an ambulance.
The 37-year-old, James Melady, was convicted in December 2025, marking the conclusion of a case that began over four years earlier.
As detailed in a police report from his 2024 arrest by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Melady was on duty on October 17, 2021, when he responded to a call involving an “unresponsive and intoxicated” woman who needed hospital transport.
The report further revealed that two videos showed Melady setting up a recording device and “clearly committing the acts during a call for service and within his professional responsibilities.”
Although he was charged with sexual battery and digital voyeurism, Melady was found not guilty of the second charge.
“The defendant was a first responder who raped an unconscious patient when he was supposed to be providing her with proper medical care,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said after the sentencing. “His crime was disgusting, demented, and deserving of the maximum sentence permissible by law.”
In addition to his prison sentence, Melady will be required to register as a sex offender and undergo five years of probation upon release.
Melady has other charges pending in two unrelated cases out of two separate counties. In Flagler County, he is accused of victimizing multiple other patients by stealing their credit cards and identification. In Volusia County, he is charged with burglary, video voyeurism and criminal mischief.
Source: NewsFinale | Read the Full Story…
