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FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. - A former Flagler County paramedic has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was accused of sexually battering an unconscious woman in the back of an ambulance and filming the incident.
What we know:
James Melady, 39, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of probation after his release. He's also required to register as a sex offender.
Melady, a former paramedic with Flagler County Fire Rescue, was accused of sexually assaulting an unconscious patient in an ambulance he was transporting to a local hospital in October 2021.
During an investigation by the Daytona Beach Police Department, detectives found two video clips on a cell phone that allegedly showed Melady assaulting the unconscious woman inside an ambulance, authorities said.
Melady claimed he was merely doing a thorough exam when he filmed himself touching an unconscious patient’s genitals in the back of an ambulance in 2021.
Detectives met with the woman, "who was completely unaware of being attacked," the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said.
In December 2025, a Flagler County jury found Melady guilty of sexual battery by a person 18 years or older. Melady was found not guilty of the second count against him: video voyeurism.
Following Melady's sentencing, State Attorney R.J. Larizza issued a statement saying, "The defendant was a first responder who raped an unconscious patient when he was supposed to be providing her with proper medical care. His crime was disgusting, demented, and deserving of the maximum sentence permissible by law."
What's next:
Melady also has two unrelated pending cases – one in Flagler County and one in Volusia County.
Melady was accused of stealing credit cards and identification while working as a paramedic. A detective found that Melady stole debit cards and personal information from victims who were experiencing medical emergencies and used them to make fraudulent purchases. Three victims were identified in total, including a 92-year-old woman who had fallen and needed transportation to a local hospital.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the office of State Attorney R.J. Larizza in Daytona Beach, the Daytona Beach Police Department, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, and court proceedings in the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida.