Reed Found Guilty on 3 Counts of Sexual Battery

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Victor Vaughn Reed, 51, of Jacksonville, was found guilty by a jury of three counts of Sexual Battery. Reed now faces a maximum of Life in Florida State Prison. A sentencing hearing has yet to be set.

There were two independent victims in this case.

The first crime took place Oct. 6, 2007, when Reed approached a female victim late at night in his car in Downtown Jacksonville. Reed offered her a ride, which she accepted before realizing he was driving in the opposite direction of her intended location. He then took her to an abandoned lot and forcibly raped her.

The second crime took place May 18, 2008, and in similar fashion. While driving, Reed approached a female victim at a bus stop late at night just north of Riverside and offered her a ride. The victim accepted the ride and was taken to an abandoned location where she was forcibly raped at knifepoint.

These were considered cold cases until Reed’s DNA came back as a “hit” from rape kits submitted through the office’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative grant work. The jury also heard evidence from three other Sexual Battery cases involving Reed, all of which had similar circumstances and methods surrounding the crimes.

The case was successfully prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Rachel Meyers Algee and Leigh Farnell Rosenbloom with the great assistance of the Special Assault Unit of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

For additional information or to schedule an interview with Algee and Rosenbloom, please contact David Chapman, communications director, at the contact information above.