Palm Coast, FL - A 70-year-old Palm Coast man is charged with molesting a 15-year-old girl living in his home. The Flagler Sheriff's Office says they were alerted to the crime in August 2020 when the victim told her mother, who had just arrived in Florida, about James McIntire and what had happened.
The victim told investigators that she was staying with McIntire and his wife while her mother was out-of-state from June through October 2019. From the arrest report: "On October 16, 2019, the victim wrote in her diary about all the times that Mr. McIntire touched her inappropriately or offered her alcoholic beverages. She wrote a list of 13 incidents that Mr. McIntire acted inappropriately to her."
During the investigation, the victim's mother told detectives that about 27 years ago, when she was 14, McIntire touched her inappropriately but she was afraid to tell anyone at the time. She also said that she had thought McIntire was interested in her specifically and did not think he would do the same thing to her daughter. The mother said she did not contact law enforcement at the time she learned of the incidents because "she was not sure what to do and tried to handle the matter within the family."
The victim's mother said when she told McIntire's wife about what happened, she did not believe it. She then contacted her brother and told him about it which is when McIntire left the residence for about three weeks. The brother contacted McIntire and reported that he confessed and broke down crying.
On September 23, 2020, the victim was interviewed where she disclosed "multiple instances where Mr. McIntire molested her" and that he "offered her alcoholic beverages on at least two occasions." She also said that every time McIntire did something inappropriate, he would "apologize and tell her it would never happen again." The victim also said she was afraid he would do the same thing to her younger cousins, who live in St. Petersburg.
A warratt for McIntire's arrest was signed yesterday (January 13) and he was arrested just hours later. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and released after posting a $50,000.00 bond.
“Often these are difficult cases to make and I am very proud of our investigative team for building the case and arresting him before he could hurt this child any further,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “It is
sickening that he would take advantage of this child while she was living in his house without her
mother present. I hope this child is able to get the help she needs to recover as crimes like this can
have lifelong effects.”
