A Palm Coast man is facing theft charges after investigators linked him to shoplifting incidents at two Flagler County home improvement stores in December.
William Biddle, 34, of Palm Coast, was arrested Thursday morning by the Daytona Beach Police Department in coordination with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and will be extradited to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility to face his theft charges.
The investigation began on December 31, 2025, when deputies responded to Home Depot in Palm Coast for a shoplifting incident in progress. Loss prevention staff told deputies they had observed a man on security cameras walking directly to the power tool section, climbing the shelves, and retrieving two Milwaukee nail guns worth $399 and $329. The man then exited through the store entrance, passing the registers without paying.
Security camera video showed the man entering a red sedan. Through investigative work and assistance from the Sheriff’s Office Real Time Crime Center, deputies determined the red sedan was owned by a friend of Biddle.
In an interview with detectives, Biddle stated he was experiencing financial hardship and needed money. He said he could not identify the buyer of the stolen tools or provide further information on the location of the nail guns.
On January 19, deputies spoke with loss prevention at Lowes in Palm Coast about a separate shoplifting incident that occurred on December 12, 2025. Security camera video showed Biddle arriving at Lowes in the same red sedan he later used at Home Depot.
In the Lowes footage, Biddle enters the store, walks through various aisles, and grabs a Kobalt Trimmer and Flex 4-Piece Tool Combo Kit worth $369 and $649 respectively. He is again seen walking past the registers before leaving in the red sedan.
“While Biddle says he’s hit hard times and stole items for some extra cash, it is obvious he planned these thefts,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “He went directly for high value items and even climbed shelves to reach unsecured merchandise stored up high at retailers to deter thefts from full-time thieves. Thieves would be wise to avoid Flagler County because we will arrest you.”
