A 68-year-old Villager who got off easy in a case in which he was accused of sexually assaulting a teen at his home in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown may not enjoy the same good fortune when he faces serious sex charges up north.
James Michael Haymaker had been arrested in 2017 on two counts of sexual assault in a case here in The Villages.
Now Haymaker is facing four counts of aggravated sexual battery of a victim less than 13 years of age in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, where Haymaker formerly resided. He is also facing four counts of indecent liberties with a child in the same county. He is due April 24 in Virginia court.
If found guilty in the Virginia case, Haymaker could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
Recently, Haymaker lost his bid for more time to write a letter of apology to the teen he was accused of molesting for years.
Haymaker was accused of having sex with the teen who had been staying at his home at 3571 Amish Path, not far from the Manatee Recreation Center. Haymaker allegedly told the 16-year-old she could bring her boyfriend with her to The Villages the next summer if she allowed Haymaker to have sex with her. She laid down on the bed and Haymaker used KY Jelly to prepare the girl for sex, according to the arrest report. He ejaculated inside her “by accident,” the report said.
The girl alleged that the abuse began when she was seven years old. She described an incident in which she woke up naked in Haymaker’s bed. He admitted that he took her from her bed, undressed her and put her in his bed, according to a document on file in Sumter County Court. She also claimed that when she was 14 or 15, Haymaker tried to persuade her to perform oral sex on him, but when she gagged, he pulled down her bottom garments and performed oral sex on her, according to the document.
Earlier this year in Sumter County Court, Haymaker pleaded no contest to two lesser counts of child abuse without great bodily harm. He has been placed on community control for one year and probation for five years. The plea deal means he won’t face the stigma of having to register as a sex offender.
He was also ordered to write a letter of apology to the visiting teen he had sex with in his home. The letter was supposed to have been completed by Oct. 29. Haymaker asked to have the deadline extended to December 2020, according to a motion filed by his attorney, Jay Rooth. The motion was denied.
Presumably, Haymaker would not want to write an apology letter in which he would have little choice but to incriminate himself. That apology letter could be used in the Virginia case.
Haymaker and his wife purchased the Amish Path home in The Villages in 2016.
