FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A now-former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic was sentenced Monday for raping a patient who was unconscious in the back of an ambulance.
James Melady was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of probation. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
A Flagler County jury in December found Melady guilty of sexual battery by person 18 years or older on a person 18 years or older in the 2021 attack.
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“The defendant was a first-responder who raped an unconscious patient when he was supposed to providing her with proper medical care,” tate Attorney R.J. Larizza said after the sentencing. “His crime was disgusting, demented, and deserving of the maximum sentence permissible by law.”
Melady was also accused of video voyeurism, but the jury found him not guilty of that charge.
Authorities said Melady also has other charges pending in two unrelated cases, one in Flagler County and the other in Volusia County.
Last year, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said Melady was accused of stealing patients’ debit cards and making fraudulent purchases with them.
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