Man accused of sex crimes found not guilty

An Ormond Beach resident and prominent businessman has been found not guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy.  Douglas Wilhite, 56, owns radio station WELE-AM.  A Volusia County jury came down with the verdict one day after the 16-year-old took the stand and described his ordeal.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office initially arrested Wilhite on July 10 on charges of plying the then 15-year-old boy with beer, wine and vodka and also having sex with him about a dozen times between February and May. Police said the teen had been living with Wilhite and his wife at the time.

Investigators said five new victims acknowledged getting naked in front of Wilhite, at his insistence. Many said playing billiards in the nude was a common occurrence at Wilhite's house. Others said the 56-year-old Wilhite told them it was a house rule that they couldn't use his workout room, "unless they took their clothes off." Two of the victims told police that they had sex in front of Wilhite after he asked them to do so.

According to witness statements, the common bond between the seven new teens was the 16-year-old boy that Wilhite was accused of sexually victimizing. The others said they were drawn to Wilhites home in order to visit the boy. 

Wilhite was taken into custody for a second time in October after a judge ordered him jailed on more than $1.5 million bond.

The investigation was initiated when the boy ran away from Wilhite's home on May 18 and Wilhite's wife, Sherry, called the Sheriff's Office to report him missing. The boy eventually was located in Virginia in June. When he was interviewed, police said the boy detailed months of sexual abuse at the hands of Wilhite.

Following the arrest on July 10, Sheriff's investigators continued to look into the defendants actions and were able to track down the other seven teenagers and get them to talk about what had been going on inside Wilhites home. That information resulted in the Sheriff's Office obtaining arrest warrants on Thursday.

Wilhite was charged with six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child, five counts of showing obscene material to a minor, three counts of lewd or lascivious conduct and one count of lewd or lascivious exhibition.

The State Attorney’s Office is investigating the additional allegations of lewd conduct with teenagers, though formal charges have not been found.