- April 16, 2024
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A 39-year-old man has been arrested on charges that he raped a 13-year-old girl in his household.
The case was brought to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office in January by the victim's mother, who reported that Sam Christopher Andolina had molested the mother's daughter at the family's home in Palm Coast in December, according to a Sheriff's Office charging affidavit.
"[The victim's] recollection of the events was uncompromisingly forthright and direct. ... [She] has maintained the same unwavering version of events, despite exhibiting sadness at the fact that Sam Andolina is no longer a part of her household."
— A Flagler County Sheriff's Office charging affidavit, summarizing an investigator's interview with the victim
The mother had been alerted by the victim's older sister, who said she and the younger girl had been discussing "secrets" when the younger girl said that Andolina had asked her if she liked boys — she'd replied that she didn't, because they were "gross" — and that he'd then taken her in a bedroom and asked her to perform a sex act on him.
She did as he told her, and he then touched her breast and genitals, she told her sister.
The older girl told the victim that she needed to tell their mother, and the younger girl "got very upset" because she was concerned about how doing so would impact Andolina's position in the household, according to the charging affidavit.
The older girl told investigators that her younger sister had never spoken about anything sexual in the past, aside from some jokes she'd heard at school.
The older girl told law enforcement that after the date of the alleged incident, Andolina "would 'linger' around the girls constantly," according to the affidavit, in a "complete 180" from his normal behavior. When the victim was around, Andolina would also "begin speaking about numerous random things. [The older sister] found this behavior to be very unusual and suspicious," according to the charging affidavit.
When the mother confronted Andolina and asked him if he'd molested her daughter, he "'jumped up' and said, 'This is what I get for not telling you, but I didn't know how to tell you,'" and then said that he'd fallen asleep the other night and that when he woke up, the girl was touching his genitals.
He told the mother that he hadn't told her because it was an "awkward situation."
When the mother told the younger daughter Andolina's story, the girl "became very agitated."
The mother told Andolina to leave the house and called the Sheriff's Office. Andolina moved to Cape Coral.
When a First Coast Child Protection Team case coordinator interviewed the victim, the girl gave the same account of events that she'd given to her older sister and added that Andolina had told her not to tell anyone or she'd be restricted from her iPad for 10 to 15 years. She also said that after the incident, Andolina had told her to take all of her clothes off and take a shower.
"During the CPT interview, [the victim] appeared very concrete in her processing and showed a limited understanding of non-literal phrases," the charging affidavit states. "[The victim's] recollection of the events was uncompromisingly forthright and direct. ... [She] has maintained the same unwavering version of events, despite exhibiting sadness at the fact that Sam Andolina is no longer a part of her household."
The investigator had the mother conduct a "controlled call" — a phone call monitored by law enforcement — with Andolina, and Andolina again said the the girl had touched him when he was asleep. The mother asked him if he saw himself as the victim. He didn't have an answer, saying he'd been drunk and "dropped the ball" by not telling her.
When a detective contacted Andolina, Andolina at first said he'd like to cooperate and make a statement, but he then changed his mind and declined to give a statement.
A neighbor contacted law enforcement and said that Andolina had Facebook-messaged her about the case and that he'd maintained his innocence. Andolina had written, "Now it's just a waiting game legally, which I'll do whatever they need me to do."
But both before and after sending the message, Andolina had refused to provide a statement, which was "the only thing law enforcement has requested" of him, according to the charging affidavit.
Andolina is charged with sexual battery of a victim 12-18 years of age by a person in a position of custodial authority, and with lewd and lascivious molestation on a child 12-16 by an offender over 18.
