UPDATE: Collin Calvert, the suspect in the December 19th armed robbery of Pine Lakes Parkway Mobil gas station in Palm Coast, was sentenced for his crimes in court this week. Calvert was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison, followed by 5 years of probation for his role in the Flagler County armed robbery and another case in Volusia which was related.
Calvert was adjudicated guilty on all the charges in both counties. In Flagler those charges were: Robbery with a Firearm. In Volusia the charges were: four counts of Grand Theft – Firearm, 2 counts of Dealing in Stolen Property, Armed Burglary of an Unoccupied Structure and Criminal Mischief.
“Great work by the FCSO Major Case Unit, Port Orange Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and the State Attorney’s Office for bringing these cases to a close with convictions and a strong prison sentenced,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “We couldn’t be as efficient and effective without the help of our local law enforcement partners!”
Original story below:
A man armed with an AR-15 rifle entered the Mobil Gas Station at 295 Pine Lakes Parkway, Palm Coast, on December 19, 2022, around 8:40 p.m., and demanded all of the cash from the register. The suspect then fled the establishment after the clerk complied and gave him the cash.
The Major Case Unit of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrived on the scene and began their investigation, which lasted throughout the Christmas break. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance footage of the crime to the general public, asking for additional information, while detectives were gathering forensic evidence.
When detectives learned that a Volusia County resident had reported the theft of an AR-15, they expanded their investigation into Volusia County. A suspect was identified with the assistance of the Port Orange Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). The Flagler County robbery was the subject of separate investigations by the Port Orange Police Department and the ATF until recently.
On December 29, 2022, the suspect, 21-year-old Collin Calvert, was captured on irrelevant charges and shipped to the Port Orange Police Division. While securing Calvert’s mobile device, detectives noticed that the picture on the home screen of his phone was a screenshot of a Jacksonville news story about the December 19 Palm Coast robbery.
Major Case Unit detectives went to Port Orange and interviewed the suspect. At the conclusion of their questioning, it was found that Calvert had sold the gun used in the Palm Coast robbery as well as two guns that had been stolen from a Volusia County business shortly before the robbery.
The Major Case Unit was able to get a warrant thanks to anonymous tipsters, the FCSO Real Time Crime Center, the FCSO Digital Forensics Unit, the FCSO Special Investigations Unit, the FCSO Homeland Security Section, the ATF, the Port Orange Police Department, and the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office Digital Forensics Unit. For the robbery of the Mobil gas station, Collin Calvert was arrested on December 29 for armed robbery with a firearm.
Calvert is currently being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a $250,000 bond for his Volusia County charges. In the near future, he will be extradited to Flagler County to face his Flagler County charges. Calvert has never been convicted of a crime in Flagler County.
“FCSO’s Major Case Unit worked tirelessly to solve this case and arrest this suspect,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Thank you to the anonymous tipsters who led our Detectives to the Volusia County area to search for this suspect, and a special thank you to all of the agencies that assisted and helped us quickly solve this case in less than two weeks. Criminals should be aware that in our area we work together to solve cases and arrest offenders no matter where they are.”
