- March 3, 2026
A 22-year-old Palm Coast man has been arrested after he exposed himself to and masturbated in front of teenage girl walking on Rickenbacker Drive.
Stephen Caputo, of Riddle Drive, was arrested on Jan. 9 is being charged with lewd or lascivious exhibition by an offender over 18 in the presence of a victim under 16, according to a Flagler County Sheriff's Office press release.
The incident occurred on Dec. 26. The victim told deputies she was walking along Rickenbacker Drive when a black Kia hatchback pulled alongside her and the driver exposed his genitals to her and began to masturbate, the press release said.
The man then drove off but then returned, slowing down beside the victim a second time. The victim said the man then "made a sexually explicit comment toward her about his prior actions, asking her if she liked it," the press release said. The victim reported the crime to FCSO the same day.
FCSO deputies canvassed the area and, using the Real Time Crime Center and Criminal Intelligence Unit, identified the car and Caputo as the suspect. Caputo did not own the Kia but was involved in a crash in it weeks prior.
FCSO Major Case Unit detectives took over the investigation and found Caputo at his work in Ormond Beach on Jan. 8 and interviewed him. Caputo initially said he was "fixing himself," but then admitted to masturbating while driving, the press release said.
Caputo said he did not know the age of the girl he encountered and that the incident was a one-time thing that he had never done before. Caputo was arrested the next day.
Caputo was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was later released on a $7,500 bond.
