Arrest made after sexual battery of 7-year-old child exposed

A sexual crime against a 7-year-old child and her mother by a family member was reported to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office on February 24, 2019.  The mother reported the she had been the victim of this man’s aggression from the time she was 12-years-old until February of 2019, and estimated being victimized more than 500 times.

Over the next month and a half, detectives have discreetly gathered multiple recordings of Leon Norman Wiley Jr, of Palm Coast admitting to the abuse.  Four days ago, on April 4, 2019, the Major Case Unit had gathered enough evidence to secure a warrant for his arrest.  An operation to take Wiley into custody was put into place.

“This is still an ongoing investigation, but our detectives were able to obtain significant and strong evidence against him,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I hope the judge throws the book at him and he spends a long time in prison thinking about his actions and what he has done to these children.”

Wiley was apprehended at the Palm Coast Wal-Mart on April 4, 2019 without incident. He was interviewed by detectives and made several admissions. The investigation is still on-going and additional charges are pending.

Wiley has been charged with witness tampering and sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority.  Wiley has been booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where he is being held without bond.