- April 17, 2024
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By: Shannon Martin
Public Affairs Officer, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence on Bressler Lane on Feb. 2 after receiving a report that a red and white Honda CRF 50 was stolen out of the garage. In addition to reporting the crime to FCSO, the victim posted pictures on Facebook to solicit the community’s help in locating the motorbike.
The community responded and soon the victim received pictures that were taken of two younger males in the area of the theft riding a Honda CRF 50 matching the description of the stolen motorbike. A photo was also captured of one of the males pushing the Honda motorbike up a driveway on Breeze Hill Lane.
On Feb. 3, deputies began canvasing the Breeze Hill Lane area and through investigative leads were able to make contact with the residents of a home on Breeze Hill Lane, a 16-year-old boy and his mother. When questioned about the stolen motorbike, the boy stated that a friend from school had brought the motorbike to his house so they could ride it. He told deputies he had no idea that it was stolen.
Simultaneously, while FCSO was conducting the investigation at Breeze Hill Lane, a resident on Bayside Drive contacted the victim on social media stating that they had just seen a young male riding a motorbike. After receiving this information, the victim went to Bayside Drive to search for his motorbike and found it parked on the side of the house at Bayside Drive.
The Honda CRF 50 was then recovered by deputies and released back to the victim. Deputies made contact with a juvenile and his mother who reside at the address.
When questioned by deputies, the juvenile stated that he did not know the motorbike was stolen and thought it had belonged to the 16-year-old. While deputies were speaking with the juvenile, he began receiving messages on his phone from the boy, instructing him to put the motorbike in the woods and hide it. In the messages, the boy also describes the location of where he initially stole the motorbike from and tells the juvenile to watch out for a blue Ford, the vehicle FCSO investigators were driving.
The last message that the juvenile received from the boy revealed his intention to sell the motorbike to someone in Jacksonville.
FCSO detectives went back to Breeze Hill Lane and conducted a formal interview with the boy, with his mother present. Post Miranda and after several different stories, the boy admitted to stealing the motorbike.
“Guardianship policing was implemented three years ago so we now have an engaged community using the ‘see something, say something’ initiative and working alongside law enforcement to solve a crime,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I’ve always said that an engaged community is a safer community and this case proves that."
The boy was arrested and charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling and grand theft of a motor vehicle. He was released back to his mother at the direction of the Department of Juvenile Justice.
