- April 24, 2024
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A 51-year-old Palm Coast man raped a 16-year-old girl on three separate occasions, beginning when she was 15 years old, according to Flagler County Sheriff's Office reports.
Deputies arrested Jerald Medders (who also spells his first name "Gerald") March 15 after the victim reported the crimes to a counselor March 9, saying that she had been having sex with an adult.
Medders, who was known to the victim's family, had sex with the victim three times on his property, in the yard, the garage, and, on the most recent occasion, in his own daughter's bedroom, according to a Sheriff's Office charging affidavit.
The Sheriff's Office gathered the girl's clothing to test for forensic evidence.
In a forensic interview, the victim told a member of a child protection team that Medders had been telling her that he was sexually attracted to her ever since she was 13 years old.
He would come to her house, speak with her parents and then become "touchy-feel" with her, she said.
He blamed the girl for the rapes, she said, telling her that she had "provoked" him to have sex with her and "that it would be her fault if they were caught," according to the affidavit.
He'd spoken with her by phone in the past about the fact that he'd raped her, so deputies had her place a recorded phone call to him March 10.
When she did, he "almost immediately asks why law enforcement had recently been at her house," according to the report. She answered evasively, saying she'd been in trouble but not saying why. He mentioned that when he'd seen the victim's mother earlier, she'd turned and walked away from him. The girl responded that her mom had been sick.
Medders said that he "has been 'an outlaw' for his entire life, and he knows law enforcement 'down to a science.'"
When the girl told Medders she thought her parents might figure out that they'd had sex, he said, "Well we can stop that (profanity) ... and be friends."
Then he told her to talk with him when she could, but not to do it on the phone.
March 14, the Sheriff's Office sent the victim to Medders' home wearing a wire. She told him she was afraid she'd become pregnant.
Medders, swearing, said he didn't think he'd gotten her pregnant. When she asked him why he was so upset, he replied, "Because it's (profanity) scary, man. You know all I want to do it be your friend and (profanity) man. You know (profanity) every (profanity) thing we've done is wrong, baby, you know that. These (profanity) will lock me up and throw me away the rest of my (profanity) life man! I (profanity) raised babies, man, I'm in here now with my two (profanity) grand babies, I mean ... I... it's just, you know that's why I said, 'Wait till you're 18, wait till you're 18,' we talked and talked and talked and talked about that 100 (profanity) times."
The girl asked why he was acting like the situation was her fault, and he said it wasn't. The girl asked what they should do about it, and he suggested that they "stop" what they were doing.
The girl mentioned that they'd had sex "three or four times," and asked him if her remembered, and he said "Yeah."
She said, "Did we not sleep together? It's only you. It's only been you! Did we not!? He replied, "Yes," repeating the word several times, then said that he would get her a pregnancy test when he had the money.
But he said he didn't think she was pregnant, and not to be nervous.
Deputies reviewed the tape and arrested him March 15.
In a letter to a Sheriff's Office deputy, the victim's mother wrote that her daughter had asked Medders, "How do you look my parents in their face and talk to them after knowing what we've done?" and that he'd replied, "I feel bad, but I do it anyway."
Medders is being held at the county jail on a combined $300,000 bond on three charges of sexual battery on a child over the age of 12.
