The jury found Melady, the former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic, guilty of sexual battery, or rape, a lesser charge than the one he faced, rape of an incapacitated person. To reach that conclusion, the jury had to conclude that the victim was not incapacitated, even though that was the one fact the defense, the prosecution and Melady himself agreed on, and that the defense relied on to argue that Melady had to invasively conduct a pelvic exam to figure out why she was incapacitated. The jury’s conclusion was demonstrably false.
