Thursday (Aug 10), Circuit Judge Robert Segal sentenced Robert AYERS IV (28), to thirty (30) years in prison, followed by 25 years of supervised probation as a Sex Offender, after he was convicted by a Brevard County Jury on June 9, 2023, of two (2) counts of Unlawful Travel to Meet a Minor (F2), one (1) count of Transmission of Material Harmful to Minors by Electronic Device (F3), and four (4) counts of Computer Solicitation of a Child (F3).

 

In a three day trial with evidence presented by Assistant State Attorneys Mark Campbell and Sara Flenniken, a jury deliberated just under 60 minutes before returning with the guilty verdicts. 

 

In a statement after the sentencing, ASA Campbell thanked the jury for believing in the victim, and Agent Joshua Strait for the hard work needed to convict AYERS. Campbell added, "It took incredible courage for her [the victim] to testify about the coercion, manipulation, and deeply personal ways that AYERS abused her. I wish we could have spared her this entire ordeal. But with this sentence, she and the other children in Brevard will be safe from this predator for a very long time."

 

Case Summary

On December 16, 2020, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office met with a 13-year-old who reported that she had been involved in sexual activity with AYERS for the past 15 months. The relationship began while the victim was living with her father in Ruskin, where AYERS was also residing. However, AYERS continued to contact her, sending nude images and sexualized text messages, after she returned to Brevard County to live with her mother. 

 

AYERS was arrested on April 1, 2021, and posted a $45K bond. After his conviction AYERS was remanded to custody at the Brevard County Jail and will now be transfered to the Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.