Sex predator released following bestiality arrest

A torrent of negative response from Historic City News readers surfaced three-days ago when we reported that 52-year-old James Lee Lyons, a registered sexual predator, had been taken back into custody on new charges of bestiality; alleging animal cruelty and sexual activity against a neighbor’s pet dog.

After accepting a plea agreement for an incident that occurred here in St Johns County in 1997, Lyons pled guilty to attempted sexual battery of a child and committing a sexual act with a child while in a familial role in January 1998. Lyons received a prison sentence of over 13-years and was released on June 14, 2011.

At the time of his prison release, Lyons was reportedly living in the woods off SR-207; south of Holmes Boulevard and north of Lightsey Road. A short time thereafter, Historic City News reported that Lyons would be residing at 437 Gloria Street in St Augustine.

Historic City News reported Lyons’ arrest on the new bestiality charges Friday, July 26th. He was taken into custody and booked into the St Johns County Detention Facility at 12:45 p.m. Bond was established at $11,000. By 9:15 p.m., the same day, he was released back into the community with a new address.

According to a sexual predator update received by our news desk this evening, Lyons is now living at 7548 US-1 South in St Augustine. Lyons is a white male, 5’7” tall, 145 pounds, has brown hair and green eyes.