- January 1, 2026
1:11 p.m. — 100 block of West Matanzas Woods Parkway, Palm Coast
Petit theft. Gas station convenience store employees noticed a man randomly moving wine bottles, and when asked what he was doing, the man said he was "reorganizing the wine for all the white folk."
His erratic behavior had prompted the employees to call the sheriff's office, according to his arrest report. The man, a 34-year-old Georgia resident, was suspected to be intoxicated, and left the store.
The reporting deputy decided to sit and watch the store in case he returned, which he did — he walked in and stole a bottle of $22 bottle of anti-freeze, the reports states.
The store wished to press charges. He was taken to jail.
4:13 p.m. — 5100 block of State Road 100, Palm Coast
Petit theft. Deputies arrested a 66-year-old California man who blamed "amnesia" after shoplifting from a local big box store.
According to his arrest report, the man was observed on surveillance footage as he collected various items and concealed them in a plastic bag he brought inside with him. He then exited the store, failing to pay for over $385 worth of items, which included two suitcases.
The man told deputies that he has been dealing with medical-related issues and suffers from amnesia. He said he had the finances to pay for the items, and that he "must have forgotten to pay for it," his arrest report states. He was asked about a previous shoplifting incident, to which the man said he didn't remember.
He was taken to jail.
4:05 a.m. — 2000 block of Moody Boulevard, Flagler Beach
Fleeing/eluding law enforcement. Just take me to jail.
That's what a 26-year-old Daytona Beach man told a deputy after pulling his truck over for a traffic stop — long after the deputy had initiated it.
According to the man's arrest report, the deputy spotted the man driving westbound over the Moody Bridge at a high rate of speed, which led him to activate his emergency lights and initiate a traffic stop. The man didn't pull over and continued to drive west.
He didn't drive erratically and was obeying all other traffic laws (except for pulling over), the report notes, even stopping at multiple red lights. Then, he drove over deployed stop sticks, deflating all four tires. Still, he kept going westbound until finally pulling over at Landing Boulevard in Palm Coast.
When the deputy asked why he didn't stop, the man shrugged his shoulders. He asked to be taken to jail, and refused to talk or answer questions.
There was no contraband in the truck, only a skateboard and a chair. He also didn't appear to be under the influence of any alcohol or drugs. The deputy noted that "it was unknown" why the man failed to pull over. He was found, however, to be on misdemeanor probation for trespassing.
He was taken to jail.
3:05 p.m. — 5000 block of Highway U.S. 1, Bunnell
Leaving the scene of a crash. Deputies arrested a 52-year-old Palm Coast man at his home the day after he left the scene of a crash.
According to his arrest report, upon spotting law enforcement at his home, the man said, "Please tell me I did not hurt or kill someone."
He hadn't, but the passenger in the vehicle he had hit had to be extracted from the car by removing the passenger side door.
The man told deputies that he had been working on his car on the morning of the crash when his allergies began to bother him, so he took two Benadryl pills, as usual. But, he said, after taking the medication, he didn't remember anything else.
The damage to his vehicle was consistent with the crash, including a headlight cover found at the scene. Surveillance footage of a general store near the scene of the crash also showed him purchasing a case of beer, placing him near the scene six minutes after the initial 911 call, according to the report.
He was taken to jail.
7:08 a.m. – 2400 block of North Ocean Shore Boulevard, Beverly Beach
Possession of eggs of a marine turtle. An Ormond Beach man was caught with drugs and sea turtle eggs in his truck when he was found loitering outside a home he had an injunction against.
A Sheriff’s Office deputy passing by on patrol recognized the man’s truck from an August incident where the suspect was arrested at the home. The suspect was later court-ordered to stay 500 feet away from the home, yet the truck was parked outside it.
The deputy pulled over and parked behind the truck and found the suspect inside it, asleep, according to the man’s arrest report. When the deputy got the man out of the truck, he found, in a plastic container on the floorboard, five sea turtle eggs.
While taking the eggs out of the truck into evidence bags, the deputy noticed a marijuana bowl on the ground that was not there when he first pulled up, the report said. A search of the suspect’s person and truck turned up a THC vape pen, a glass jar with fentanyl powder in it, another bowl and a handmade metal pipe. The man told the deputy he found the eggs and the fentanyl jar washed up on the beach.
The suspect is facing 10 misdemeanor charges for possessing the eggs and illegally taking and disturbing them, several drug possession charges and a violation of injunction charge.
8:40 p.m. — Intersection of State Road 100 and Seminole Woods Boulevard, Palm Coast
DUI. A Palm Coast man who was found unconscious behind the wheel of his car at an intersection later told deputies had taken “a little bit of everything” when asked if he’d taken any narcotics.
Law enforcement officers on their way back to work after a holiday event found the driver slumped, unconscious in his running car at the intersection, according to an arrest report. Because the driver did not respond to any attempt to wake him, one police officer used their baton to break two windows to place the car in park.
While officers began checking on the man, he jerked awake and admitted to taking narcotics, the report said.
A search of the man’s car turned up a small plastic baggie with a white powdery substance in the center console alongside two cut straws, and a brown, waxy substance wrapped in tinfoil. Both substances tested positive for fentanyl.
The man was arrested and has been charged with driving under the influence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Deputies found no alcohol in his system.
