A Florida jury on Wednesday found a former paramedic guilty of sexually battering an unconscious woman in the back of his ambulance as she was being transported to the hospital in 2021.
The jury deliberated for five hours before returning the guilty verdict for James Melady, 38, but they acquitted him on a charge of video voyeurism: Melady and filmed the assault on the unconscious woman, although the video disappeared until his now ex-girlfriend found it while looking for evidence of his infidelity, FlaglerLive.com reported.
Melady served as a Flager County Fire Rescue paramedic from 2018 until May 2024, when he resigned after failing a drug test, as CrimeOnline previously reported. He was arrested in September 2024 when the back-of-the-ambulance video surfaced while Daytona Beach police were investigating him for an unrelated case of sexual misconduct.
Melady argued that everything he did in the back of the ambulance was medically necessary and that he had filmed the assault because he was alone with the woman and wanted to protect himself. He did not say why he subsequently deleted the video from his cell phone — after saving it to his computer.
The victim was unconscious and never knew she was assaulted until police came calling after the video was recovered. She identified herself from the video and testified during the three-day trial on Tuesday.
Melady’s ambulance partner that day — Jesse Hunter, a 17-year-veteran — testified that there was no reason to perform a “pelvic exam” on an unconscious patient in the back of an ambulance and that he’d never seen one done in his time of service.
The now convicted sex offender faces more legal difficulties. He has been charged in Flagler County with fraud stemming from use and possession of credit cards stolen from a patients and in Volusia County with burglary and an unrelated charge of video voyeurism. The current jury was not told of those charges.
Melady will be sentenced early next year.
Flagler County Fire Rescue changed its protocols after Melady’s arrest. Cameras are now installed in the back of all ambulances, and two people must ride in the back when transporting any underage patient or any considered vulnerable.
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[Featured image: James Melady/Volusia County Corrections]
