Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies made 22 arrests this past weekend between 6 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024, and 6 a.m. on Monday, April 7, 2024. They handled 611 calls for service and made 111 traffic stops.
“In addition to their typical calls for service, deputies had their hands full with traffic this weekend as I-95 was packed with Spring Breakers making their return journey home,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “On Sunday alone, northbound lanes on I-95 were shut down twice as deputies responded to two serious crashes with injuries. Deputies worked with the Florida Highway Patrol and our emergency response partners at Flagler County Fire Rescue to quickly get care for the injured and open the roadways.”
FCSO Identifies, Arrests Man for Burglary and Assault on a Real Estate Agent
On Saturday, April 6 just after 11 a.m., deputies responded to a residence on Princeton Ln. in Palm Coast after a woman called 9-1-1 and said she had been assaulted. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the victim who said she was in the process of setting up for an open house when an older male drove by in a gold SUV and waved at her. He passed by several times before stopping in front of the residence. She told the man that the open house was not scheduled to start for another 20 minutes, but when she walked inside, he followed her.
The man identified himself to her only as Carlos, and in addition to asking real estate questions about the home, told her it was not safe for her to be alone. After offering a handshake to leave, he pulled her in tightly and began kissing her neck. After struggling to get free and telling him to stop, the man let her go but took one of her business cards as he left. The victim took photos of the man’s vehicle as he fled and called 9-1-1. Through investigative means and FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center (RTCC), deputies quickly identified the man as Palm Coast resident Carlos Da Silva, 78. Deputies located the suspect vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on Wellington Dr. He initially told deputies he did not stop in the “P” section that day, then changed his story and said he had stopped there and only briefly spoke to a woman. Eventually, he admitted to going inside and pulling her in for a hug but said he promptly left afterward.
The victim positively identified Da Silva as the man who assaulted her. Since the Open House was not active during the time of the incident, Da Silva was arrested on the felony charge of Burglary of a Dwelling with Assault and Battery, and one misdemeanor charge of Simple Battery. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where he is currently being held without bond. “This creep saw an opportunity to prey on a woman, but I doubt he expected her to fight him off and turn him in bravely,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Because of the victim’s quick thinking and the quick work of our team, he found a new home at the Green Roof Inn.”
Recently Released Convicted Felon Found with Meth
On Friday, April 5, around 6 p.m., deputies contacted Matthew Messinger, 48, a Palm Coast resident who had an active Volusia County warrant for his arrest for Violation of Probation. He was working at the BP gas station on Old Dixie Highway when deputies saw him walk around the back of the building. They met him outside in the wooded area and were able to apprehend him on the Volusia warrant.
Upon searching Messinger, deputies found a pink box containing methamphetamines and a pipe in his left pants pocket. He was also arrested for Possession of Methamphetamines and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where he is being held without bond. Messinger has been arrested by FCSO multiple times in the last three years for three counts of Domestic Battery and Violation of a No Contact Order; two counts of Simple Battery; and in 2023, he served 78 days in jail for Trafficking in Stolen Property. He was released on October 9, 2023. “Unfortunately, not everyone can leave behind a life of crime,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “This is one of the reasons we conduct residence checks on felons recently released from jail. If they commit another crime or are wanted in connection to one, we know exactly where to find them, so we can quickly get them off the streets and back to the Green Roof Inn.”
Sheriff Staly Apprehends Hillsborough County, FL Fugitive
On Sunday, April 7 Sheriff Staly had just pulled into his neighborhood after a community event when he heard deputies being dispatched to a possible drunk driver. The individual in question had left a local Bunnell bar and was driving west on SR-100 in a U-Haul truck. Sheriff Staly, knowing he was the closest unit turned around and went back to SR-100 and began looking for the suspect vehicle. Sheriff Staly spotted the vehicle and after observing a traffic violation, stopped the U-Haul truck.
During the investigation, Sheriff Staly determined the driver was not impaired. Still, the passenger, identified as Derrick Davidson, 42, was a fugitive from Hillsborough County with an outstanding warrant for Writ of Bodily Attachment for not paying child support. After deputies arrived to assist, Davidson was removed from the truck and arrested on the active warrant. He was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility where he posted bond and was released.
“A deadbeat dad found out he should be making his child support payments the hard way,” said Sheriff Staly. “Let this be a reminder to all parents that if you are required to pay child support, be a good and responsible father by supporting your children.”
