Orange County Sheriff’s Corporal James Montiel was arrested on Friday, May 17, 2024, by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Montiel is charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography.
Montiel is the fourth Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy arrested in a little over a month.
A news alert issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office stated Montiel was hired in March 2006. Following his arrest, Montiel was relieved of all law enforcement duties without pay while the criminal case is under way. The alert stated, “Once the criminal proceedings are complete, an OCSO administrative investigation will be conducted, and the results of that investigation will be public.”
Montiel’s Arrest Warrant
The signed arrest warrant states a female child, who may be as young as 12-years-old, was seen in a video performing a sex act. In an interview conducted by a Seminole County Detective, the child admits to making the video in her bedroom, using her cell phone and the snapchat app. In the warrant, the child tells the detective that she does not know how (redacted name) could have gotten the video. According to the warrant, another video shows a male child, who is between 14 and 16-years-old, performing a sex act.
Deputy Montiel Kills 22-year-old Salaythis Melvin in August 2020
Montiel is the Deputy who shot and killed 22-year-old Salaythis Melvin in the back at the Florida Mall in 2020. Melvin was running away from deputies when he was shot. Court records state Melvin had a gun in his right hand. The killing set off a series of protests and demands to terminate and charge Montiel.
‘No Evidence Montiel Committed a Crime’ in Salaythis Melvin Case
Former State Attorney Monique Worrell, the elected State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, said she was unable to prosecute Montiel based on body camera footage that was blocked. “Neither could the footage from the body camera confirm or refute Montiel’s testimony that Melvin turned towards him immediately before shooting because the image of a Mr. Melvin was blocked by a vehicle in the parking lot,” Worrell said.
“We understand that there is heightened scrutiny in cases like these. But our deputies don’t have the luxury to pore over and analyze a video hundreds of times, or wait 449 days to make a life or death decision,” Mina said. “They must act in the moment to protect themselves and others.”
Salaythis Melvin’s Story On Vice TV
The controversial shooting made global news. Reporter Krishna Andavolu included Melvin’s story in a documentary on Vice TV. Andavolu interviewed Orange County Sheriff John Mina as well as Carlus Haynes and Bradley Laurent, the attorneys who represented Melvin’s family.
Bradley Laurent, the former attorney representing Salaythis Melvin’s family said, “Officer Montiel should have his job and he should have been charged by now.”
Orange County Sheriff’s Statement on Montiel’s Arrest
“These are very serious criminal allegations, and there is no place in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for anyone who commits such heinous crimes,” said Sheriff John Mina. “As law enforcement officers, we are held to the highest standards of conduct whether on duty or off duty, and I am committed to ensuring that those who serve the community as Orange County deputies follow the laws that they are responsible to uphold.”
*Bradley Laurent has since been disbarred by The Florida Bar association and is no longer allowed to practice law in the state of Florida. It was determined Laurent misused funds after one of his firm’s bank accounts showed a deficit of $681.93. That deficit triggered an audit by the Bar which led to evidence of misappropriated funds.
