The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) has arrested Josiah Morales, an 18-year-old Palm Coast resident, on charges of lewd or lascivious battery of a victim 12 years of age or older but less than 16 years of age. The arrest came after detectives determined that he had engaged in sexual intercourse multiple times with an underage victim.
The investigation was initiated on May 9, when a school guidance counselor reported a sex offense to an FCSO school resource deputy (SRD). The counselor informed the SRD that a 13-year-old had reported having sexual intercourse with Morales. The SRD gathered information and then contacted the FCSO Major Case Unit to take the lead in the investigation.
Major Case detectives and a child protective investigator with the Florida Department of Children and Families interviewed the victim. The victim stated that they had first met Morales just a few weeks prior through a mutual friend. The victim’s friend had informed Morales that the victim was only 13 years old and would not engage in any sexual activity. Despite this, Morales obtained the victim’s phone number and began communicating with them. In the days following their initial meeting, Morales invited the victim back to his friend’s residence, where he convinced the victim to have sex with him multiple times. On at least one occasion, the victim reported feeling coerced into having sex.
When detectives interviewed Morales at his residence, he admitted to having sex with the victim but claimed he believed the victim was 15 years old—an age that is still under Florida’s legal age of consent.
On August 13, an arrest warrant was obtained for Morales, who was subsequently located and arrested at his residence. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where his bond was set at $30,000.
In a statement following the arrest, Sheriff Rick Staly commended the victim for coming forward: “I commend this victim for speaking up and reporting this incident to their guidance counselor… This man took advantage of a young victim. I commend our detectives in the Major Case Unit and our partners at both the DCF and the State Attorney, Florida’s 7th Circuit for their collaborative work on this case so that we could arrest him and take him to the Green Roof Inn before he had more opportunities to take the innocence away from more young victims.”
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