- April 26, 2024
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by: Don Foley, Public Affairs Manager, Flagler County Sheriff's Office
A Ponte Vedra man is in the Flagler County Inmate Facility after trying to steal a $6,000 necklace from Kay’s Jewelers in Palm Coast.
"This should serve as notice to anyone else who has ideas of committing crimes in our county. You better look somewhere else. Your trip to Flagler County will end behind bars.”
— RICK STALY, Flagler County sheriff
The suspect, 20, walked into the retail jewelry store just before 7 p.m. Sunday night, Jan. 16.
He told a store employee that he was a professional boxer and had recently won three fights, and was interested in seeing a 10K gold Cuban link necklace.
After the employee handed the suspect the necklace, the suspect ran out the front door. The store employee tried to follow, but lost sight of him.
An employee called 911 and gave the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office a description of the suspect, and FCSO deputies found him in the parking lot of the Flagler Palm Coast High School gymnasium.
The suspect tried to escape, but deputies found him moments later behind the school cafeteria and took him into custody. When they searched him, they found the missing necklace, with the price tag still attached.
Deputies drove the suspect back to the store, where store employees identified him as the thief.
The investigation revealed that the suspect had parked his car near the Flagler County Airport hangars and walked to Kay’s Jewelers to steal that particular necklace, which he'd researched beforehand.
He told deputies that he was from Jacksonville, and that he'd chosen the Palm Coast Kay Jewelers because it had fewer customers and was open later than other locations.
“This thief thought he would come into our community thinking one of our businesses would be an easy target,” FCSO Sheriff Rick Staly said. “However, the quick thinking of the employees and our deputies made this crook an easy catch. This should serve as notice to anyone else who has ideas of committing crimes in our county. You better look somewhere else. Your trip to Flagler County will end behind bars.”
The suspect faces charges of Grand Theft over $5,000, Trespassing on School Grounds and Resisting an Officer Without Violence. He is being held on $6,500 bond.
