Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this morning agreed with prosecutors and granted the sate’s motion to deny bond to James Melady, the former Flagler County paramedic facing a rape charge stemming from his alleged assault of a patient he was caring for in a county ambulance during an October 2021 emergency call, an assault he video-recorded on his phone.
Melady, 37, had worked for Flagler County Fire Rescue since June 2018. He was placed on an unrelated administrative leave on May 8 after failing a drug test. A medication for which he no longer had a prescription showed up in his test. He subsequently resigned, according to the county.
He was arrested at his home in Daytona Beach on Sept. 13 and transferred to the Flagler County jail the same day on $150,000 bond on the video voyeurism charge–a third degree felony–and no bond on the sex battery–or rape–charge, a first-degree felony.
On Monday, Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark filed a motion to deny Melady bond, which means he would have to remain in jail until the final disposition of his case. The bond motion notes that Melady “recorded the entire incident” with the woman, an intoxicated patient who was passed out in the ambulance, and was being taken to a local hospital. The patient subsequently told authorities she had no recollection of the incident. Melady acknowledged to sheriff’s detectives that he was the person in the video, “but that this was the first time he had sexually battered a patient,” the bond motion states.
Since he is charged with a violent crime and “there are no conditions of release reasonably sufficient to protect the community from the risk of physical harm,” the state asked that no bond be set. The judge agreed. Melady is represented by Assistant Public Defender Courtney Davison. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12 at 8:30 a.m. Given the confession and what would appear to be incontrovertible video evidence, it is unlikely that the case would reach trial before a plea deal.
Meanwhile Flagler County government announced on Monday the adoption of new protocols in response to what it called “horrific sexual assault allegations.” The county said the protocols were adopted immediately after the arrest. They are as follows, as outlined in a county hand-out:
Mandatory Two-Person Protocol: All ambulances will now have two personnel riding in the back when patients are considered vulnerable or underage to ensure additional oversight and support. Until now, only critical patients had two paramedics in the back portion of the ambulance.
Psychological Evaluations: Mandatory psychological evaluations will be conducted for all new Fire Rescue employees, though the evaluation had been implemented before knowledge of the incident.
Enhanced Surveillance: Current external 360-degree cameras used for driver awareness will have an additional camera installed in the back of all vehicles for awareness of activities in the patient compartment for additional safety.
Rescue Supervisor on All Ambulances – In August, before awareness of this criminal allegation, Fire Rescue established the Rescue Supervisor position for all ambulances within the county to ensure oversight on all units.
“These actions reflect our unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of the people we serve,” Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker was quoted as saying. “We want to emphasize that the actions of one individual do not reflect the dedication and heroism of our entire team. The men and women of Flagler County Fire Rescue are life-saving heroes who work tirelessly to protect and serve our community. The arrest of this individual for his alleged depraved criminality does not diminish the exceptional and compassionate work performed by our entire team every day.”
