The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office made 23 arrests, handled 890 calls for service and made 158 traffic stops between July 21st and July 24th. Below you can read some of the highlights from the FCSO and their weekend activity.
Friday night the FCSO responded to a home on Treetop Circle, where a woman called the FCSO reporting that a woman had pointed a firearm at her husband. When FCSO arrived and conducted an investigation, they determined that the reporting party, Jeffery Rutfield aged 62, was the aggressor. He had sprayed the woman in the face with a garden hose after yelling at her for supposedly being on his property line. The victim then retreated to her vehicle, while Rutfield continued to yell at her as he followed her. The victim stated she was in fear of being attacked which led her to display her firearm. When Rutfield retreated back inside, the victim put the firearm away and stood by the vehicle waiting for deputies to arrive. FCSO was able to review the incident and determine that the victim had never been on Rutfield’s property, and Rutfield was the one who responded in an aggressive manner. Rutfield was arrested for Simple Battery. He was taken to AdventHealth for medical clearance then booked without further incident. He was later released from jail.
Sunday Night the FCSO responded to a call for service to a home on Fulton Pl. They arrived on scene to find Devin Manrique aged 33, engaged in a verbal dispute with family members. Before deputies arrived, the family members had told deputies that Devin had broken multiple items outside of the home. Once Devin was secured, he began to resist Deputies. Devin threatened to “hunt down” and “find” deputies who had been on the scene. Devin was trespassed from the property and arrested for Criminal Mischief, Resisting Arrest Without Violence, and Corruption by Threat Against A Public Servant. While at the Detention Facility Devin began to slam his head against the cage of the patrol car which caused lacerations and injuries to his forehead. He was taken to the hospital and medically cleared before he was booked. He is currently being held on a $6,500 bond.
Saturday night, two vehicles were caught racing southbound on I-95, when they passed an FCSO patrol car going more than 100 mph at Mile Marker 289. Deputies attempted a traffic stop but were unsuccessful, as the cars accelerated further to flee law enforcement. The FCSO did not pursue. One of the vehicles was located at Mile Marker 285 crashed into the wood line after striking another vehicle. The two occupants of the rear-ended vehicle stated they had no injuries. The driver of the crashed vehicle, a Chrysler 300, was identified as Kievon Henderson aged 19. He was arrested for Fleeing and Eluding, Reckless Driving, Racing on a Highway, Possession Cannabis (under 20grams) and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 21. He was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and is out on a $9,000 bond.
“A busy weekend for Flagler Deputies,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “If you spray someone in the face with a garden hose, you’re only escalating the situation. It is much better to deescalate and call us to mediate the dispute. I’m also proud of our deputies demonstrating so much patience with Manrique, despite him threatening them while being arrested. Finally, we arrested a reckless driver on I-95 that put every driver at risk and was underage to have a gun too. He is on his way to starting a life of crime.”
