PALATKA, Fla. — A 32-year-old Palatka man was arrested June 8 and charged with sexual assault on a victim aged 16 or 17 by a person 24 or older, evidence destruction, transmitting harmful information to a minor and soliciting a minor for sex, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office announced.
David Donnelly, 32, of Palatka, was served his arrest warrant at the Flagler County Jail, where he was already being held on a violation of probation charge. He is currently held without bond and will be transferred to Putnam County at a future date.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The investigation began last month when a parent contacted the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office with concerns about Donnelly having an inappropriate relationship with the victim. Detectives interviewed the victim, who said they had met Donnelly through an older sibling and mutual friends and knew Donnelly’s nephew through video gaming.
The sheriff’s office said the victim described sexually explicit conversations with Donnelly over social media platforms, including Snapchat, during which he allegedly sent nude photos and a video.
On May 21, detectives conducted a traffic stop on Donnelly and arrested him on an outstanding Flagler County warrant.
The sheriff’s office said that at that time, Donnelly told investigators he had learned the victim was underage approximately eight to nine months prior. Detectives subsequently obtained a search warrant for his phone.
Investigators also received an April report from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office related to sexually explicit messaging between Donnelly and the victim.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach credited the victim’s parent for bringing the case forward.
“The parent of the victim did an amazing job of advocating for the victim,” Sheriff DeLoach said. “This was not an easy task for the parent because the victim was falsely led to believe this was ‘love’. The victim was groomed and admitted to being given alcohol during encounters with Donnelly as he gained trust.”
In accordance with laws governing sex crimes, the age and sex of the victim will not be released in order to protect the victim’s identity.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
