Man arrested on multiple charges after stolen truck recovered; trail camera photos link suspect to burglaries
A Palm Coast man is facing multiple felony charges after a Flagler County Sheriff’s Office K-9 tracked him down following a series of thefts in the Daytona North area of western Flagler County, commonly known as the Mondex.
On December 15, deputies responded to a reported vehicle burglary in Daytona North. The victim told deputies his truck had been stolen overnight and that the same truck had been stolen previously by a man named Jake Kasica. The victim stated he had recovered his vehicle at a residence on Holly Lane during the previous incident.
Armed with this information, the victim went to the same Holly Lane residence to search for his truck. He located the vehicle with a man he believed to be Kasica still inside. When the victim confronted the suspect, the man fled in the truck. The victim followed and attempted to chase down the suspect before eventually stopping and contacting law enforcement.
Based on the previous incident and the victim’s identification of the suspect, deputies began searching the area for Kasica.
At the same time, deputies investigating a separate residential burglary in the same community observed the stolen truck slowly pass by and park behind a residence on Fruit Avenue. Multiple units including the General Assignment, Problem Area Crime Enforcement, and K-9 units responded to establish a perimeter and search for the suspect.
During the search, a PACE Unit detective spotted a suspect matching Kasica’s description riding a bicycle and carrying fishing poles on Water Oak Road. As the detective passed, the suspect attempted to conceal his face. When the detective turned around to make contact, the suspect fled into nearby woods.
Deputies and a K-9 Unit responded to the location where the suspect was last seen. Deputies announced for the suspect to surrender, but he refused. After less than 30 seconds of tracking, K-9 Uno located the suspect hiding in undergrowth and apprehended him with a bite to the right arm. Deputies secured the suspect, who was confirmed to be Jake Kasica, 23, of Palm Coast.
“This guy should have immediately surrendered, but when he didn’t K-9 Uno took a bite out of crime,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “K-9 Uno gets an extra treat today.”
Deputies searched the area where Kasica was apprehended and found a sunglasses container with hypodermic needles, cotton wrapped in tinfoil, and a small plastic bag containing a gray powdery substance that later tested positive for synthetic cannabinoids. They also found a bag nearby containing fishing equipment, a trail camera, and ammunition, along with the fishing poles the detective had seen Kasica carrying.
While paramedics assessed Kasica for the dog bite, two passersby stopped and told deputies they recognized the bicycle and other items as belonging to them. The victims provided photographs from the trail camera showing Kasica on their property burglarizing a barn and stealing the items.
Deputies arrested Kasica on charges of grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, grand theft valued between $750 and $5,000, possession of synthetic cannabinoids, possession of drug paraphernalia, and resisting an officer without violence.
After receiving treatment for his dog bite at AdventHealth Palm Coast, Kasica was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he is being held without bond.
Body camera footage from the arrest is available through the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office here.
