Just after 12 p.m. on February 21st, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies arrested a man driving an unregistered vehicle on a suspended license while carrying 3.4 grams of Methamphetamine.
After observing a gray Honda Civic traveling southbound on State Road 11 at 70 mph in a 60-mph zone, Deputy Prevatt conducted a traffic stop for speeding. During the traffic stop, Deputy Prevatt noticed the expiration date on the decal sticker had been modified with a permanent marker. The driver, later identified as Edgardo Castillo Cruz, 35 from DeLeon Springs stated he did not have a valid Florida driver’s license because he had recently moved from California.
After he provided his name and date of birth, deputies found no record of a California license but did learn that his Florida license had been suspended four times since 2021. Deputies also determined the tag attached to the vehicle actually belonged to a 1995 Chevrolet truck and not the Honda Civic. Castillo Cruz admitted to taking the tag from a friend’s vehicle without their knowledge. The Honda Civic has never been registered.
Rapid ID Technology was used to confirm Castillo Cruz’s identity and he was arrested for Driving While License Suspended and Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle. During the arrest, Deputy Lichty found a small glass jar in the glove box that contained approximately 3.4 grams of a crystal-like substance that tested presumptive positive for Methamphetamine, as well as a Mexican passport issued to Castillo Cruz.
CASTILLO CRUZ MUGSHOT
Castillo-Cruz was also arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where he is currently being held on $4,000 bond.
“Nice try but no cigar,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “A little creative doodling and a pack of lies about license and registration didn’t fool our deputies and earned him a stay at the Green Roof Inn. Rapid ID technology confirmed the identify of this unlicensed driver, but his decision to illegally drive through Flagler County with illegal substances is what landed him straight in jail.”
A Rapid ID system is a mobile device that scans a person’s fingerprint through state and national databases to verify a person’s identity and any criminal history during a field encounter and provides the information to the deputy on scene.
To view video of the arrests, click here: https://bit.ly/3UWpjq1
