A Flagler Beach computer programmer is behind bars without bond after his longtime girlfriend told deputies he beat, strangled, and raped her over roughly half a day in their home, according to investigators. Rory Victor Belmont, 44, was arrested in Volusia County and later moved to the Flagler County jail, where he faces multiple felony charges. The woman, his girlfriend of eight years, was treated at AdventHealth Palm Coast for facial injuries and a black eye, authorities say.
What investigators say happened
According to police documents and a motion filed by the State Attorney’s Office, Belmont allegedly began drinking the afternoon of June 29 and attacked the woman twice, first on the couch and later in the bedroom. Investigators say he forced vaginal and oral sex and strangled her until she lost consciousness multiple times. The report notes that she complied with his demands "solely out of fear of suffering further physical abuse or death."
The victim told detectives that Belmont blocked her from calling for help, kept tight physical control over her movements, and at one point threatened to strangle her with a belt, according to FlaglerLive.
Arrest and booking
Volusia County deputies arrested Belmont in the early hours of last Wednesday on an out-of-county felony warrant and initially booked him into the Volusia County jail, according to online booking records. That entry flagged a related Flagler case (FB26-9877) and indicated he was being held without bond before his transfer to Flagler County, per public booking records on the Volusia County booking logs.
Scene, evidence and texts
Deputies were called to the home around 12:30 p.m. on June 30. They found the woman visibly shaken, with dark red bruising and a black eye, according to the investigative reports. Deputies collected the clothes she had been wearing, noted a spot of urination on the bed, obtained a search warrant, and called in the sheriff’s Crime Scene Investigations unit while the victim was admitted to AdventHealth Palm Coast for treatment.
Investigators say Belmont later texted the woman from outside Grace Lutheran Church in Ormond Beach, where he was charging his phone. In those messages, he allegedly blamed his behavior on drinking; in one exchange he wrote, "I don’t know what happened." The State Attorney’s Office has filed a motion asking that Belmont be held without bond until the case is resolved, and court records show an arraignment set for Aug. 8 before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols, according to FlaglerLive.
Charges and court calendar
Belmont is charged with one count of first-degree forcible rape and four third-degree felonies. The additional charges include domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment, aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, and hindering communications with authorities. His formal charging information lists those counts in connection with the Flagler case.
Public booking records state that Belmont remains in custody and was initially booked on an out-of-county warrant tied to the Flagler case, according to the public booking logs.
