FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A man from New York has been taken into custody related to a 2015 sexual battery case after further forensic tests showed the victim was drugged during the alleged incident, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Kaivan Rahbar, 64, of Melville, New York, was arrested Aug. 4 by Suffolk County Police detectives on a Flagler County fugitive warrant for sexual battery.
The case dates back to July 3, 2015, when Flagler County deputies responded to a local hospital following a reported sexual battery.
The Sheriff’s Office reported that the victim said Rahbar drugged and sexually assaulted her. Detectives conducted an investigation, including a controlled phone call and a DNA warrant.
Rahbar’s DNA was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and was matched to DNA collected during the victim’s sexual assault examination.
At that time, tests to establish if the victim had been drugged were inconclusive. The victim subsequently became unreachable, resulting in the case being marked as inactive.
The investigation was reopened in July 2025 after the victim contacted the Sheriff’s Office and requested a copy of her case file.
Detectives reviewed the original investigation with the State Attorney’s Office and submitted the victim’s 2015 blood sample for additional forensic testing at NMS Labs.
In April 2026, NMS Labs confirmed zolpidem, the active ingredient in Ambien, in the victim’s blood, supporting her account that she had been drugged, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
On Aug. 3, 2026, a Flagler County detective obtained an arrest warrant for Rahbar.
Investigators determined Rahbar had relocated to New York and was preparing to leave the country. The Sheriff’s Office said he was subsequently placed on a no-fly status.
The following morning, Suffolk County police detectives arrested Rahbar on the Flagler County warrant.
Rahbar waived extradition and was returned to Flagler County on Aug. 19, where he is being held without bond, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
