Judge Lowers Bond in Revenge Porn Case from $20,000 to $2,500, Enabling Release

Dec. 10 update: Circuit Judge Terence Perkins Monday afternoon (Dec. 10) agreed to lower Au’qoin Kendrell Neeley’s bond from $20,000 to $2,500 after a public defender argued for the lower bond and Neeley’s mother testified that she would ensure that court conditions imposed on her son were enforced.

Neeley, who was in court, did not address the judge. His attorney said he would be seeking to get back to work in the warehouse at Kohl’s. “These are concerning charges,” Perkins said during the bond hearing, cautioning Neeley and his attorney that “we’re going to be watching very carefully what happens,” and that “actions speak louder than words.”

Neeley’s mother, a nurse with a private insurer, had been asked how much she could afford to bond out her son. She said she could afford at most $500, which would be 10 percent of a $5,000 bond–the money that has to be paid a bondsman to make bail. That’s what Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark asked for. The defense–Neeley is represented by Garry Wood–asked that he be released on his own recognizance, citing the season’s many demands on family’s budgets. The judge said he had already written down a $2,500 bond.

The conditions of Neeley’s bond include a prohibition of using the internet or social media and a no-contact order regarding the alleged victim. Neeley is allowed to use a phone, but only if its internet functions are disabled.

The earlier story is below.

Revenge Porn Involving Underage Girl Lands 20-Year-Old Palm Coast Man in Jail

Dec. 3–Au’qoin Kendrell Neeley, 20, of 56 Filbert Lane in Palm Coast was booked at the Flagler County jail Friday (Nov. 30) on accusations that he disseminated numerous sexually explicit images of his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend on social media cites and sexually cyber-harassed her.

He faces a second-degree felony charge of transmitting child pornography by an electronic device and a misdemeanor charge of cyber-harassment.

The girl had dated Neeley for about a year until last fall, when she told him to stop messaging or calling her, though he was doing so constantly. She blocked him on her phone, but he found different ways allegedly to continue to harass her.

On Nov. 30, he messaged her over some 20 unanswered texts an offensive string of words, insulting her and threatening to expose her on social media. He meant it literally–and, according to his arrest report, he did: He allegedly posted sexually explicit photos of his ex on Snapchat, accompanying the graphic images with his own equally graphic captions. He did so on Instagram as well, and included postings of videos that included others related to the alleged victim–as well as himself in sexual situations.

The girl had blocked him, but she was informed of the dissemination by friends, so she then viewed the postings for herself and “immediately identified them” as intimate, private exchanges she’d had with Neeley, according to the arrest report. She and her mother sought to pursue charges.

The alleged victim sent the materials to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, which investigated. A detective met with him, and Neeley, according to his arrest report, said that he had posted photos and videos of his ex on Facebook and Instagram. He acknowledged knowing that she was only 17, and said he’d deleted the uploads from Instagram and Snapchat “because he knew it was wrong of him.” But he did so 11 hours after uploading them.

In his interview with the deputy, Neeley said he is “a very popular person, and has a lot of friends,” according to his arrest report, going by the Snapchat name of liljayinthecut and the Instagram name of yslslime_lean. He also volunteered to the deputy that he had more sexually explicit images and videos of him and his ex in his phone, but was willing to cooperate: he provided the deputy with the pass-code to unlock his iPhone.

He was then arrested and taken to the jail on $20,000 bond. He remained there Monday evening. He is under order of no contact with the alleged victim. His arraignment is set for Jan. 14 before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins.