OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — An Osceola County School Board member is facing charges after being accused of serving alcohol to a teen and forcibly kissing her.
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Julius Melendez, 45, is charged with misdemeanor battery and serving alcohol to someone under the age of 21.
According to the court clerk’s office, the charges were initiated by the State Attorney’s office this week.
The investigation began in July when the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from the school district.
An 18-year-old woman alleged “inappropriate conduct” by Melendez.
Melendez was her manager at a café in Kissimmee. She was not a student in Osceola County schools.
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The woman spoke only to Channel 9 in July. She said Melendez offered for her to stay at his home because she was having a “tough time with family” in late June. She said in the span of a few hours, Melendez served her nine drinks -- some of which were served at the cafe and others at his home. She told Channel 9 he touched her shoulders, arms and thighs without her consent. She said he followed her to a guest bedroom in the home where she said he “forcibly” kissed her.
“I told him like, ‘no, like, I already told you, you know, like, I need to go to sleep. I’m tired.’ And he ended up leaving the room and going downstairs to his room,” she said.
She said hours later, she snuck out of the home and took an Uber home.
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She told Channel 9 in July that she thought Melendez was in his early 30s. It wasn’t until she spoke to investigators that she learned he was 45.
“It made me really disgusted… like he’s older than my dad,” she said.
Channel 9 reached out to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office to see if Melendez would be arrested. They referred all questions to the State Attorney’s Office. We’ve reached out to the State Attorney’s Office for comment.
Melendez declined to comment but claimed he did not know he was charged.
The School Board declined to comment, saying this is a law enforcement matter.
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