Donald Andrew Sharp, a 21-year-old resident of Huntington, W.Va., who lived with relatives in Palm Coast’s P Section, faces five life felony charges stemming from acts of sexual abuse he would have two pre-teens commit before his eyes or rapes he himself committed against them.

Sharp was arrested on an extradition warrant from Flagler on Aug. 13 and held at a jail in Huntington. He was booked at the Flagler County jail on Sunday (Sept. 4) where he is being held without bond following a first appearance before Circuit Judge Chris France in Bunnell.




He faces two counts of sexual battery, or rape, involving children younger than 12 (the felonies are still referred to as capital felonies, dating back to the time when the crime was punishable by the death penalty. It no longer is.) And he faces a count of lewd and lascivious molestation by a person older than 18 against a person younger than 12, a life felony.

His arrest affidavits state that he admitted to the crimes, which took place in Palm Coast. The State Attorney’s charging information place the alleged crimes between May 2021 and June this year. Sharp would be the babysitter to two children, a boy and a girl, who were 8 to 9 years old and 10 to 11 years old during the period. He would entice them to his bedroom. According to his arrest documents, he would “abet and procure the children to perform sex acts on each other while he watched,” including forcing what amounted to rape between them. Separately, he would force himself on one of the children in repeated acts of abuse.

The documents don’t indicate how the alleged crimes–among the most violent and depraved of the past decade in Flagler–were brought to light. The greater majority of perpetrators of sexual abuse of children are family members or people familiar to the victims. The majority of such crimes go unreported,




According to Darkness to Light, the non-profit advocacy organization on behalf of child victims of abuse, “children are most vulnerable to abuse between the ages of seven and 13.” But most crimes go unreported.

“This pervert took advantage of two children who are young enough to be in elementary school,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “He took away their childhood innocence and now he’s learning how the long arm of the law really works. Our thanks to the Huntington Police Department for working alongside our Major Case Unit detectives to arrest him as a fugitive from justice so that he can be extradited back to Flagler County to answer for his horrendous crimes.”

Abuse Hotline: Report Abuse Online

Any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a child is abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, legal custodian, caregiver, or other person responsible for the child’s welfare is a mandatory reporter. § 39.201(1)(a), Florida Statutes.

To report an allegation in Spanish or Creole, please call 1-800-962-2873, for TTY use 711 or 1-800-955-8771.  This toll free number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with counselors waiting to assist you.

Maltreatment Report 2019:

Click to access child-maltreatment-report.pdf