Deputies make 10 arrests and respond to 911 calls over three days
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies made 10 arrests and conducted 180 traffic stops between Friday evening, December 19, and Monday morning, December 22, while also investigating incidents involving an attack on a pregnant woman, shoplifting at multiple stores, and a shooting.
On Sunday, December 21, deputies arrested 22-year-old Deovion Vickers of Bunnell after responding to a reported verbal dispute at a home around 10 a.m. After interviewing witnesses and those involved, deputies determined the dispute had turned physical and identified Vickers as the primary aggressor.
The victim, who is pregnant, told deputies that Vickers became angry over another person temporarily living in the home. During the argument, Vickers allegedly put his hands around the victim’s throat and forcibly removed her eyelashes. The victim also reported that Vickers struck her on the back of the head multiple times with a cellphone, smashed her phone on the ground, and broke an iPad.
“Vickers is an angry man who beat a pregnant woman simply because he was too immature to control his temper,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “If you are the victim of dating violence, or fear that your relationship could become violent, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office should be your first call. Our victims’ advocates are here 24/7 to support victims and survivors, too. You can also contact the Family Life Center for assistance. Seek help before it’s too late.”
Deputies charged Vickers with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and criminal mischief. He was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and is being held on $22,500 bond.
On Saturday, deputies arrested 49-year-old Heather Rateliff of Palm Coast after she allegedly shoplifted from several local stores. A Target loss prevention officer reported watching Rateliff on security cameras as she took cosmetic items from shelves, placed them in a red reusable Target bag, and left without paying.
When the loss prevention officer asked Rateliff to return to the store with the items, she dropped the bag and went to her car. Deputies later located her at Goodwill, where they observed her and a male companion exit the store with unpaid merchandise.
Rateliff admitted to stealing from Target, Kohl’s, and Goodwill. She told deputies she had no intention of stealing but claimed the checkout lines were too long. The man with her initially denied seeing the loss prevention officer stop Rateliff, but later admitted he had. Deputies found stolen items with Goodwill tags in his backpack, though Goodwill chose not to press charges against him.
“Unlike Santa, who carries a red sack of toys, Rateliff’s red sack was filled with stolen dietary supplements and shampoo,” Sheriff Staly said. “As you go about your last-minute holiday shopping, there may be long lines at stores, but that is not an excuse to steal. Luckily for Rateliff, we have plenty of shampoo at the Green Roof Inn.”
Rateliff was charged with petit theft after a prior conviction and resisting an operator in recovery of stolen property. She was released on a $500 bond.
On Sunday evening, deputies responded to a report of a shooting near Old Kings Road and Farnum Lane in the F Section. They found a man in the passenger seat of a vehicle with a gunshot wound to his shoulder and a woman sitting nearby. The victim and the woman provided conflicting statements to detectives, and the investigation remains active and ongoing.
