September 4, 2026

Prepared by: Joseph Bober, Public Information Officer

Email: PIO@flaglersheriff.com

Release #: 2026 – 185

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a Palm Coast man on multiple felony charges after he stole a disabled trailer from a park in Palm Coast.

On Aug. 30, deputies responded to investigate after the victim reported his jet ski trailer had been stolen from the boat ramp at Herschel King Park. The victim told deputies one of the trailer’s axles had broken a week prior, so he contacted the Flagler County Parks and Recreation Department and received permission to keep the trailer at the park while he acquired the parts to fix it. When the victim went back to the park to fix the trailer, he discovered it had been stolen.

Deputies reviewed security camera footage from the park and observed a Jeep pickup truck enter the park on the night of Aug. 26, pulling an empty trailer. The footage showed the suspect then immediately drove to the victim’s trailer, loaded it onto the empty trailer, and drove away.

With assistance from the Real Time Crime Center, deputies quickly identified the suspect vehicle after it was captured by an automatic license plate reader in the area before the theft. Deputies then identified the suspect as Jonah Depeters, 70, of Palm Coast.

On Sep. 2, deputies went to Depeters’ residence in the BL-Section of Palm Coast. There, they spoke to Depeters and confirmed he was the only person with access to the Jeep seen on camera driving away with the stolen trailer. Deputies further located the trailer in pieces in the backyard, where Depeters had begun stripping it for parts. Depeters told deputies he believed the trailer had been abandoned, as the victim had removed the license plate prior to leaving it at the park.

The next day, based on the investigation, deputies and General Assignment Unit detectives arrested Depeters for grand theft ($750-$5,000) and criminal mischief (over $1,000). He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was later released on a $5,000 bond.

Left: A deputy arrests Jonah Depeters in Palm Coast, Fla., Thursday, Sep. 3, 2026.

Right: Jonah Depeters (Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility mug shot)

“We solved this case and arrested the thief in less than 72-hours. This case is a prime example of how ALPR technology has assisted our agency in solving crimes quickly and apprehending criminals,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “If it wasn’t for this technology, this case would have never been solved and is an example of how important the legal use of this technology in keeping our community safe and in this case quickly recovering stolen property. I commend our detectives and our analysts in our Real Time Crime Center for quickly solving another case.”