- May 13, 2025
A man who was caught on camera stealing cigarettes and a lighter from a Palm Coast home in April was identified as a member of an inmate work crew hired by the city of Palm Coast.
The homeowner reported the theft, caught on her home surveillance cameras, to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. FCSO detectives determined the suspect was a part of the inmate work crew working behind the victim's home.
The inmate was identified as Jay Working, 33, who was sentenced to prison on drug possession charges, but also has previous convictions of burglary and petit theft charges, the press release said. The video footage shows an inmate walking up to the vitcim's screened porch, and then, an hour later, Working approaching the porch, running inside, grabbing the cigarettes and lighter, then leaving.
Working is now facing additional charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and petit theft. When he finishes his current sentence on May 31, he will be transferred to the Flagler County jail. According to the Florida Department of Corrections, both inmates were relocated to disciplinary confinement and will no longer be permitted to participate in a state inmate work crew, the press release said.
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly said the FCSO took the incident seriously from the beginning and conducted a thorough investigation.
"We are working with the city of Palm Coast and the Florida Department of Corrections to ensure that state inmates assigned to the city’s work crews and supervised by the city are more closely watched so that something like this will not happen again,” Staly said.
