Jason Michael Brandley of Inverness found guilty of sexual battery and false imprisonment
Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Marion, Lake, Citrus, Sumter and Hernando counties
September 29, 2025
Citrus County, Florida - Last week, in the courtroom of Judge Joel D. Fritton, jurors found 25 year-old Jason Michael Brandley, of Inverness, Florida guilty of sexual battery and false imprisonment. Brandley was taken into custody to await his sentencing hearing at a later date.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys Lisa Yeager and Kaitlyn Mannis.
Brandley was arrested in December 2024 as the result of an investigation by the Citrus County Sheriff's Office after the victim reported the crime to the agency.
According to allegations made by the victim, shortly before noon on November 9, 2024, the victim agreed to meet with Brandley, who was known to the victim. The victim entered the passenger side of Brandley's truck and began talking with him and he proceeded to drive down a remote trail in a wooded area. Brandley expressed his intention to have sex with the victim, who repeatedly stated that he/she did not wish to engage in sexual activity with him. After multiple refusals by the victim, Brandley stopped the truck and became aggressive, eventually forcing himself on the victim, forcing he victim to engage in sexual intercourse against the victim's will.
After he collected the victim's statement, Detective Ryan Reeder of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Special Victims Unit, asked the victim to conduct a controlled phone call with the defendant. During the call, Brandley made multiple admissions that were consistent with the victim's account of events, and an arrest warrant was issued for Brandley's arrest.