A 17-year-old posed as two people to lure the victim into selling diamond earrings
A Palm Coast teenager is facing multiple charges after allegedly robbing a woman who was trying to sell diamond earrings through Facebook Marketplace, prompting the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to remind residents about safe-exchange locations available for online transactions.
On the afternoon of December 22, deputies responded to a reported robbery at a home on Birchfield Place in Palm Coast. The victim told deputies she had arranged to sell diamond earrings to a man who identified himself as “Jonathan Williams.” She also said she had been texting throughout the day with someone claiming to be the buyer’s wife, “Latoya,” about the purchase.
When the victim arrived at the meetup location, the suspect asked to see the earrings. As she showed them to him, he grabbed them from her hand. A brief struggle followed, during which the victim received small cuts from the suspect’s fingernails. The suspect then fled with the earrings.
Deputies set up a perimeter to search for the suspect, and Major Case Unit detectives joined the investigation. A nearby witness reported seeing someone matching the suspect’s description running in front of his house and into the woods. The witness also recognized the person as a resident of Birchview Place, located one street away from the robbery scene.
Using investigative methods and assistance from the FCSO Real Time Crime Center, detectives identified the suspect as Davonta King, 17, of Palm Coast. The victim confirmed King’s identity through a photo lineup.
Deputies contacted King’s mother, who attempted to reach her son but was unable to do so. She told deputies that he should be at home. When deputies arrived at the residence and ordered King to come outside, he refused to comply. After a lengthy standoff, a younger child exited the home and told deputies he was King’s brother and that King was hiding in a bathroom inside. The FCSO SWAT team arrived and took King into custody without further incident.
During questioning, King initially claimed a friend had paid him for the earrings, and he no longer had them. He later changed his story and eventually revealed where he had hidden the earrings in the laundry room. Detectives obtained a search warrant and recovered the earrings along with two cellphones, one of which King had attempted to destroy in the washing machine. Investigators determined that King had posed as both “Jonathan” and “Latoya” when communicating with the victim.
Detectives charged King with robbery by sudden snatching, battery on a person over 65, grand theft, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. He was also found to have violated probation from similar theft arrests earlier this year in Orange County. King was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
“This kid is old enough to know better than to try stealing from our residents and think he can get away with it,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Thanks to the victim who quickly reported the incident; a neighbor who ‘saw something and said something,’ and the hard work of our RTCC analysts, deputies, and detectives, we quickly apprehended him and recovered the victim’s earrings. This kid has a history of robbery like this and is not learning his lesson. I hope our State Attorney will charge him as an adult since he keeps wanting to commit adult crimes.”
The victim later told detectives she had originally tried to arrange the exchange at a Daytona Beach Police Department station and then at the FCSO District 2 Office in Palm Coast. However, “Latoya” was unable to meet at either location, and the victim eventually agreed to meet at the Birchfield Place address.
The Sheriff’s Office provides safe-exchange locations at both the Flagler County Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell and the District 2 Office in Palm Coast. Both sites are designated as Child Exchange and E-Commerce Safe Zones, are accessible around the clock, well-lit, and under constant video surveillance. The locations can be used for exchanging items purchased through online marketplaces or for child custody exchanges.
“Our safe-exchange locations are available to give residents peace of mind when meeting a stranger to conduct safe transactions and discourage people from attempting to take advantage of our residents as happened in this situation,” Sheriff Staly said. “I encourage everyone to use them. This seller had the right idea when she tried to arrange for the meeting to take place at one of these locations, but our thief convinced her to meet somewhere else. This should raise red flags that something is not right and is a lesson that everyone can take away from this incident.”
