A 49-year-old man found guilty of having sex with a minor after they used cocaine was sentenced to 15 years in prison Tuesday and designated a Sex Offender, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
John C. Bradly, 49, who was living in Panama City at the time of the Jan. 13 offense, was found guilty Oct. 23 of Lewd and Lascivious Battery by a jury that deliberated for about 20 minutes. Circuit Court Judge Shonna Young Gay presided over the trial and handed down the sentence.
At trial, Prosecutor Zach VanDyke called two witnesses – the victim, and Bay County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jake Roberts. He also introduced numerous text messages between the defendant and the victim, and the defendant’s statement to Roberts where he admitted having sex with the girl.
“This is a defendant who not only refused to take responsibility for his actions, but who repeatedly lied and denied, and then attempted to put blame on the victim,” VanDyke said after the trial. “He tried to make her a victim again with his testimony, and I’m grateful the jurors saw through that. His behavior is sending him where he belongs – prison.”
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The victim testified that the defendant went to high school with one of her relatives and it was through that connection that she met him. She said he picked her up at her residence Jan. 13, drove her around, and they stopped and used cocaine twice. She said after the second time, he initiated sex with her.
Basford thanked the Bay County Sheriff’s Office for its follow up work that led to Bradly’s arrest.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.