A 47-year-old man from Palm Coast has been found guilty of stalking and soliciting sex from a juvenile, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Jerome Malerba was arrested in December 2022 after deputies were notified of inappropriate behavior involving him and a juvenile victim in November of that same year, officials said.
According to deputies, Malerba had been contacting the victim for approximately two years. In July 2022, Malerba’s contact escalated into sending explicit messages and photos to the victim and aggressively demanding sexual favors.
Malerba acknowledged that the victim was a minor while continuing to demand sexual favors. He also threatened to hurt the victim if his requests were not met, officials said.
Each of these convictions is a third-degree felony and carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison for a possible maximum sentence of 15 years.
“Our Major Case Unit and Digital Forensics teams did a phenomenal job tracking down every disgusting piece of evidence this sexual predator crafted in an effort to prey on a juvenile. Thanks to their efforts along with the prosecutor and jury conviction I hope he spends a long time in prison where he can’t prey on our children,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement.
Malerba is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 21, 2024, and he is currently being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
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