A Tallahassee media agency founder is facing nine counts of aggravated battery on a child and one count of child neglect after deputies say the boy in his care called 911 while the man was out of state, asking dispatchers whether it was normal to be handcuffed to a door and beaten with a pot and a pipe. Juming Delmas, founder and CEO of Juming Delmas Studios LLC, was taken into custody at Tallahassee International Airport the moment he landed on a flight from New York.
According to the WTXL ABC 27 Tallahassee News, the Leon County Sheriff's Office said it arrested Delmas after the child dialed 911 on September 16 while he was traveling. Deputies responded to the home, and the child told detectives the abuse dated back to October 2025, describing repeated attacks with brass knuckles, a cooking pot, and a PVC pipe.
The most recent incident, the child told detectives, happened Tuesday, September 15, after Delmas became angry when the child woke up late for chores. The child said Delmas handcuffed him to a bedroom closet door and struck him repeatedly with a PVC pipe, a detail attributed to the LCSO arrest affidavit. Delmas was in New York when the child made contact with law enforcement the following day.
Forensic Exam Corroborates Child's Account
Child Protective Services conducted a forensic examination of the child that found multiple looped marks across his back, according to the arrest report. The exam also found multiple burn scars on the child, per the affidavit. The station's report notes these findings as physical corroboration alongside the child's statements to detectives.
Delmas, who ran his Tallahassee production and podcast agency out of a Railroad Avenue office, previously worked as a media producer and actor and earned a master's degree in Communication and Video Media Studies from Florida State University before founding the company in 2022, according to Guide to Florida. Corporate filings with the Division of Corporations show the agency remains registered and active in the state.
Nine Felony Counts Carry Steep Penalties
Delmas faces nine counts of aggravated battery on a child and one count of neglect of a child without great bodily harm. Under Florida Statute § 827.03, aggravated child abuse is classified as a first-degree felony, according to The Florida Senate, punishable by up to 30 years in state prison, 30 years of probation, and a $10,000 fine per count, with Level 9 sentencing guidelines carrying a mandatory minimum of 48 months behind bars.
The single neglect charge is a lesser third-degree felony under the same statute, carrying maximum penalties of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Bozanic Law. Florida law defines child neglect as a caregiver's failure to provide essential care or supervision.
Statewide Reporting and Response Standards
Florida Statute § 39.201 requires all adults in the state to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect to the Florida Abuse Hotline, making a willful failure to report a third-degree felony in its own right, according to Florida Atlantic University. That mandatory reporting duty applies broadly under the state's Protection of Vulnerable Persons Act.
Once a report reaches the hotline, Florida's child protection agencies move fast. The state's Department of Children and Families evaluates more than 92 percent of alleged child victims within 24 hours of a hotline report, per the agency's 2024-2025 performance report.
The case remains in its early stages, and the allegations against Delmas have not yet been tested in court. Formal charges and any defense filings are expected to move through Leon County's court system in the coming weeks.
