Daytona Beach, FL - A 43-year-old man arrested for sexual battery and kidnapping now faces another charge against him.
Jason Minton turned himself in on Friday (February 21st) after law enforcement launched a manhunt for him in regards to a sexual assault case. In that case, Minton was accused of sexually battering and kidnapping a woman after a supposed job interview in Ormond Beach.
Now the Volusia Sheriff's Office says Minton faces new charges related to a case from Valentine's Day (February 14th). The victim in this case told a similar story to the one that came out of Ormond.
The victim told deputies that Minton approached her at a business plaza in DeLand, gave her his business card and offered her an interview for a job with Tucker’s Tree & Bobcat Services.
The woman later contacted Minton who picked her up in a company truck and took her to a bar in Orange City, ordered her multiple drinks and kept asking if she wanted more. She also reported that one of her drinks was left unattended while she went to the bathroom.
The victim left with Minton, and he drove her to a wooded lot in Orange City that he described as a job site. She reports that Minton pulled at her shirt, her bra, and touched her shoulder several times in a series of unwanted advances, and offered her cash in exchange for sex, saying, “With how much money I am going to be giving you, you can’t tell me no, and I can do whatever I want.”
The victim was able to refuse Minton’s offers and advances, and eventually he dropped her off in DeLand.
Since the announcement of Minton's original charges, the Volusia Sheriff's Office says that over a half a dozen of women stepped forward to report similar incidents regarding Minton that date back several years. Investigators are now in the process of reaching out to those women for interviews and more information, and Volsuia Sheriff Mike Chitwood encourages any other potential victims to contact law enforcement.
“I want to thank each of those brave women for coming forward, and I also want them to know we’re going to give their cases the attention they deserve,” Sheriff Chitwood said. “Ormond Beach police did a great job getting Jason Minton off the street, and our deputies and detectives are going to be working hard doing everything they can to make sure every potential victim is heard.”
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Volusia Sheriff’s Detective Justin Martir at jmartir@vcso.us or 386-316-5020.
