- April 13, 2026
BUNNELL, Fla. — A fugitive from Palm Coast has been arrested in Texas on a Flagler County warrant after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit tracked him to Texas and coordinated with local law enforcement to apprehend him.
The fugitive, Gage Sleap, 22, of Palm Coast, had been wanted since March 27 after the FCSO Major Case Unit investigated written threats to kill. During the investigation, detectives identified that Sleap had made multiple threats to the victim through Facebook Messenger, including telling the victim that he would burn her house down, kill her, and had a knife with her name on it. Sleap also tagged the victim in a Facebook post stating he was going to put her in a grave.
Through investigative means, the Fugitive Apprehension Unit determined that Sleap had recently left Florida and was residing in Independence, Missouri. Deputies coordinated with law enforcement in the area to attempt to locate Sleap but were unsuccessful.
Deputies then learned that Sleap was possibly traveling on a bus towards Dallas. Deputies coordinated with multiple law enforcement agencies in North Texas and contacted officers at the Gainesville Police Department in Gainesville, Texas, who confirmed they had a bus stop in their jurisdiction.
On April 10, with information provided by the FCSO Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Gainesville Police Department officers located and apprehended Sleap at the bus stop.
“This arrest is a perfect example of something that a lot of fugitives have learned the hard way: You can run, but you can’t hide from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office!” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Our deputies in the Fugitive Apprehension Unit are some of the best in the business at tracking down criminals, and we coordinate with our law enforcement partners around the country to bring fugitives to justice. I commend our team for their hard work and thank the Gainesville Police Department for their assistance.”
Sleap was arrested on his fugitive warrant from Flagler County for written or electronic threats to kill. He was transported to the Cooke County Detention Center in Gainesville, Texas, where he is being held without bond and awaiting extradition to Flagler County.
