FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic has been sentenced to a decade in prison after a jury found he sexually assaulted an unconscious patient while on duty.
During a court hearing Monday afternoon, February 2nd, 39-year-old James Tyler Melady of Daytona Beach was sentenced to 10 years in state prison followed by five years of probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. A Flagler County jury convicted Melady in December of Sexual Battery by a Person 18 Years or Older on a Person 18 Years or Older.
The crime occurred in October 2021, when investigators say Melady raped a female patient who was unconscious in the back of an ambulance while he was supposed to be providing medical care.
“This defendant was a first responder who raped an unconscious patient when he was supposed to be providing her with proper medical care,” said R.J. Larizza, following the sentencing. “His crime was disgusting, demented, and deserving of the maximum sentence permissible by law.”
The case was investigated by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Prosecutors credited Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark with successfully trying the case. The Honorable Dawn Nichols presided over the trial and formally pronounced the sentence.
Authorities noted that Melady still faces additional pending charges in two unrelated cases, one in Flagler County and another in Volusia County.
Prosecutors emphasized that the conviction and sentence send a clear message that abuse of trust, especially by those tasked with public safety and care, will be met with serious consequences.
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