PALATKA, FL — A 32-year-old Palatka man remains behind bars on a strict no-bond status after an integrated multi-county cyber investigation revealed he utilized alcohol, video games, and social media networks to groom and sexually assault an underage teenager.
David Donnelly was served with an array of new felony warrants on Monday, June 8, 2026, while already sitting in jail on an unrelated regional warrant.
Social Media Exploitation and Grooming Exposed
The investigation was initiated in May 2026 after an alert parent discovered deeply concerning material and contacted law enforcement handlers regarding Donnelly’s suspicious interactions with their teenage child.
Specialized detectives interviewed the underage victim, who detailed a systematic grooming process. The teen explained that they initially crossed paths with Donnelly through an older sibling and mutual acquaintances. Donnelly embedded himself further into the victim’s social circle by playing video games with the victim and his own nephew.
Once a rapport was established, Donnelly migrated the relationship to covert social media networks, primarily Snapchat. The victim disclosed to investigators that Donnelly initiated highly explicit sexual conversations and routinely transmitted nude photographs and explicit video files directly to their device.
Multi-County Network Tracking and Traffic Stop Arrest
The scope of the investigation expanded significantly when Putnam County detectives received an intelligence brief from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. Clay County analysts had intercepted a separate April 2026 data stream containing explicit digital correspondence between Donnelly and the target minor, corroborating the ongoing nature of the exploitation.
On May 21, tactical units executed a targeted traffic stop on Donnelly. He was immediately taken into custody on an outstanding, unrelated warrant out of neighboring Flagler County for violation of probation.
During his initial roadside interrogation, Donnelly made a critical self-incriminating admission, telling detectives he had explicitly known the victim was legally a minor for at least eight to nine months but maintained the relationship anyway.
Detectives immediately seized Donnelly’s smartphone under a fast-tracked search warrant to prevent the remote wiping of evidence, transporting him directly to the Flagler County Jail to face his active probation violations while cyber forensics teams scraped his device.
Served in Jail on No-Bond Status
Following a thorough extraction of the digital evidence and final coordination with prosecutors, Putnam County detectives secured an extensive state arrest warrant on June 8. The new charges were officially served to Donnelly inside his Flagler County cell. He faces counts of:
- Sexual Assault by a Person 24 or Older on a Victim 16 or 17
- Cruelty Toward a Child by Transmitting Harmful Information to a Minor
- Soliciting a Minor for Sex
- Evidence Destruction
Putnam County Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach commended the protective instincts of the family for breaking the suspect’s psychological hold over the minor:
“The parent of the victim did an amazing job of advocating for the victim. This was not an easy task for the parent because the victim was falsely led to believe this was ‘love’. The victim was groomed and admitted to being given alcohol during encounters with Donnelly as he gained trust.”
Donnelly is currently being held without the benefit of bond. He will be transferred to the Putnam County Detention Facility in the coming days to await his formal arraignment.
To insulate the survivor from further trauma and ensure compliance with Florida sex-crime privacy statutes, officials confirmed that no additional identifying information, including the specific age or gender of the victim, will be publicly released.