BUNNELL, Fla. – The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office made 13 arrests during the weekend of November 21-24, responding to 1,021 calls for service and conducting 262 traffic stops. Two incidents resulted in significant arrests, including a DUI case involving an undocumented immigrant and a multi-felony arrest following a failed escape attempt on an off-road vehicle.
DUI Arrest Leads to Immigration Detainer
A Traffic Enforcement Unit deputy conducted a traffic stop on State Road 100 in Bunnell on Friday afternoon after observing a white Dodge pickup truck commit multiple traffic violations. While following the vehicle, the deputy witnessed it make a right turn from the left turn lane on Commerce Boulevard, cutting off the deputy’s vehicle, then speed approximately 15 mph over the posted limit and drift across the center line on State Road 100.
When deputies spoke with the driver, identified as Edgar Herrera-Recinos, 47, of Daytona Beach, they noticed he had watery eyes, mumbled speech, and the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.
Deputies conducted field sobriety exercises, which Herrera-Recinos failed. Deputies arrested him for DUI and transported him to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he refused to take a breath test. Deputies additionally arrested Herrera-Recinos for refusal to submit to testing.
During the traffic stop, Herrera-Recinos could not provide a valid driver’s license and gave deputies numerous social security numbers while they attempted to confirm his identity.
Herrera-Recinos, a Guatemalan citizen, was found to be living in the country illegally. Due to his immigration status, detectives contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which determined there was probable cause for deportation and issued an immigration detainer. After being booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, he was released on $1,500 bond and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“This guy should not have been behind the wheel at all, let alone drunk, and it turns out he should not have even been in the country,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Fortunately, our deputies stopped him before he could hurt or kill someone.”
Body camera footage from Herrera-Recinos’s arrest is available for viewing.
Felon Arrested After Utility Vehicle Pursuit Ends in Yard
A deputy on patrol in west Bunnell noticed an off-road utility vehicle, which is not street legal on public roadways in Florida, being driven on Catherine Street on Sunday night. As the deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop for an unregistered motor vehicle, the utility vehicle sped up and turned into a driveway near the end of the street. After the deputy activated his patrol vehicle’s lights and siren, the utility vehicle rapidly accelerated and took multiple turns through the yard before coming to an abrupt stop.
After the utility vehicle stopped, the deputy noticed the driver, later identified as Jason Cauley, 59, of Bunnell, exit the vehicle, move around it, get back in, and rev the engine. The deputy determined that Cauley had stopped because the vehicle had gotten stuck. After realizing the vehicle could not move, Cauley surrendered and deputies took him into custody.
When deputies searched the vehicle, they confirmed it had hit a log that became wedged underneath. During the search, deputies located a clear plastic bag with a crystal-like substance in a dashboard compartment, which later tested positive for methamphetamine. Deputies also located an open beer can and a single .22-caliber bullet in the vehicle.
A check of Cauley’s criminal history revealed he was a convicted felon with seven previous felony convictions for crimes including grand theft, burglary with assault or battery, and possession of a controlled substance. These convictions made him ineligible to possess a firearm or ammunition. Cauley’s driver’s license had been suspended, canceled, or revoked ten times, and he was on pretrial release for driving while his license was suspended as a habitual traffic offender.
Deputies arrested Cauley for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement with lights and sirens active, driving while license suspended as a habitual offender, possession of methamphetamine, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and failure to register a motor vehicle.
“This guy thought he could outrun deputies in an off-road vehicle to avoid another arrest and he didn’t want to go back to jail, but his escape attempt was thwarted by a log,” said Sheriff Staly. “Now he’s back in the Green Roof Inn, where he’s definitely no stranger, facing multiple felony charges.”
Cauley was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is currently being held without bond. Body camera footage from Cauley’s arrest is available for viewing.
The weekend’s law enforcement activity demonstrates various scenarios deputies encounter, from impaired driving cases that reveal immigration violations to attempts to evade arrest that result in multiple felony charges. Both incidents show how routine traffic stops can uncover more serious violations and lead to significant arrests.
