Ardit Coma, a 28-year-old detective with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested by Ormond Beach police early this morning on a felony charge of fleeing and eluding law enforcement.
The incident took place a little before 8 a.m. on U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, as Coma was driving to work in Bunnell in his gray Taurus. He has been suspended without pay, pending the disposition of the case.
According to his arrest report, he was driving at 88 mph in a 55. Ormond Beach Police Sgt. Caleb Braun, after clocking him going that speed, U-turned and followed Coma, closing the distance near the intersection of U.S. 1 and Airport Road but not yet activating his lights. Coma had slowed enough that Braun could see the reflection of his patrol car in the Taurus’s bumper.
At that point Braun activated his patrol car’s emergency lights and siren. The Dodge Durango was clearly marked as a police car, not an undercover car. “The vehicle continued northbound in the inside lane, failing to yield,” the report states, as other vehicles were yielding to the emergency-lit cop car.
The Taurus continued north to Wall Avenue, “then merged into the outside lane and accelerated around traffic. It was apparent the vehicle was actively attempting to flee,” the report states. “Sgt. Braun deactivated his emergency lights and siren, as he did not intend to pursue.” Braun relayed the information about the Taurus’s direction to the 911 center, making other patrols aware and suggesting the deployment of stop sticks, which, when successful, puncture tires.
When the Taurus passed another officer’s position at Ormond Lakes Boulevard and U.S. 1, the officer reported it was approaching 90 mph. An officer deployed stop sticks at Pine Tree Drive and U.S. 1. The Taurus drove around them and stopped in the turn lane, some 350 feet north of the deployment. It had traveled 1.9 miles from the point where Braun had closed in on it.
Braun ordered Coma out of the vehicle. Coma complied. Braun noticed Coma’s weapons and police gear on his belt, such as handcuffs. Coma was handcuffed, asking, “What is going on?” Braun told him he was fleeing and eluding.
“When did that happen?” Coma asked, laughing, according to the report. He said he had not noticed Braun behind him.
Ormond police contacted the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office about the incident, and to retrieve the car, an agency vehicle. Coma was taken to the Ormond Beach Police Department for processing.
“Sheriff Rick Staly expects our employees to follow the law,” Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge was quoted as saying in a release the Sheriff’s Office issued early this afternoon, “and when a deputy’s alleged actions rise to the level of an arrest, we act swiftly, as this type of behavior is not representative of the values or expectations of the Sheriff’s Office. We also believe in the criminal justice system which provides Detective Coma due process just like anyone else.”
The charge is a third-degree felony, punishable on conviction by up to five years in prison, though first-time offenders typically see the charge downgraded to reckless or careless driving, and adjudication withheld, if the felony charge isn’t dismissed. The speeding violation would remain regardless. For example, Colin Haggerty, the last Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy to face a criminal charge before Coma, –boating under the influence in September 2023, a first offense–pleaded to a lesser charge of reckless operation of a vessel, paid $750 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and took an alcohol safety course. He did not serve jail time, and adjudication was withheld on the misdemeanor.
Haggerty resigned while facing an internal investigation and is no longer with the Sheriff’s Office.
Coma’s case is to be tried in Volusia County. He will then be subject to an internal affairs investigation at the Sheriff’s Office to determine whether he violated agency policies, which could lead to internal penalties. He has not had an internal affairs investigation previously.
Coma joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2023, and was the recipient of a Unit Citation in June 2023 and currently serves in the detective bureau’s Major Case Unit.
In May 2024, when he was a road deputy, he received a Life Saving Award, rescuing a man in his car in Bunnell who’d been unresponsive for 30 minutes following a drug overdose. The man had taken fentanyl, and later recovered. “Due to Deputy Coma’s quick thinking and immediate action, he was able to save a life,” a sheriff’s release stated at the time.
In June 2024, he was among the recipients of a Unit Citation award for being part of the rescue of a woman suffering from a mental health breakdown, and from hypothermia, in wilderness in west Flagler. It is unusual for a young road deputy to make the jump to detective as quickly as he did, but not unheard of: deputies with strong records have made a similar jump before, among them Kathryn Gordon, who was then named Law Enforcement Officer of the Year three months ago.
YouMakeMeSick says
Disgusting example of the ‘Rules for thee, but not for me” mindset that every single officer I have ever had the displeasure of knowing, seems to believe in and practice. The police are a gang/cult that we have all grown tired of, especially now that they are kidnapping and disappearing people solely based on their skin color here in America. What a disgusting excuse for a country we have become! People like these ‘men’ in blue are the exact cause if our nations demise, and its time we end this sick little experiment of theirs. Defund the police and abolish all federal law enforcement and prosecute every last abuse of power ever documented. FTP ACAB.
FedUp says
Clearly you’ve ended up on the other side of the law and continue to blame everyone else instead of taking responsibility for your own stupidity. Blame all the cops, that’s your solution? Go back to where ever you moved here from, because you make me sick. Moron.
YouMakeMeSick says
You couldn’t be more wrong, I have never even been pulled over yet I see them victimizing our communities day in and day out. Your time is up boomer, stay mad and go find a hole and crawl in. Moron.
Frank says
I hope you never need the help of an officer..
Skibum says
Very immature! And a detective, yet! Only 28 years old, and just two years on the FCSO, and he was made a detective???
Hmmm, I bet someone there is re-evaluating their judgement of this individual’s temperament, judgement and level of maturity to be assigned as a detective.
Resident says
No loss Mr Staly.
Show the residents you’ve sworn to protect, and your fellow officers, we don’t need officers whom make such stupid, poor decisions and believe they are above the law.
All for a speeding stop, not like he would have received a ticket or anything.
Makes bad choices like this, I can only imagine the damage that could be done in the future.
PCpaintworx says
This is the exact reason why this is so weird. He had no reason to “flee”. He was on his way to work in his work attire.
My bet is he was listening to loud music and was running late and didn’t see the cop in his rear view. That’s the only thing that makes sense. No way he intentionally did this.
PatpPat Stotr says
I kinda after either you.,crazy ss it sounds.
Lance Carroll says
I LOVE good loud music. It’s always important to check mirrors while driving. It is also a good idea to obey the posted speed limit. The stretch of US 1 that is listed in this article is a very busy roadway.. Driving around the stop stix had to be caused by the loud music? Better to abide by the posted speed limit regardless of the loud music…
Bobo says
” oh I didn’t see the police emergency lights in my mirror ” please det. Your suppose to be a trained observer. You couldn’t find a Nickel in.the March of dimes then maybe you shouldn’t be a “Detective “
Deborah Coffey says
Character counts…especially when placing people in positions of power.
Slick nick says
I’m sorry but being 28 and driving a Taurus should be grounds enough to be pulled over – double points if it was gold!
Anonymous says
If you read the article you would know it’s an agency issued vehicle. Even if he did own it, who cares at least he has a car. Smh
Captain Krunch says
“We also believe in the criminal justice system which provides Detective Coma due process just like anyone else.”
Unless, of course, you’re captaining a speed boat fulla plant-based powder off the coast of another continent.
JimboXYZ says
A lot of this 90 mph speeding goes on. I think Airport Rd/US-1 area is posted 45-55 mph, so Coma got his super speeder arrest & citation. That’s the hing about today’s automobiles they seem to be able to 90-100 mph with the larger rims & tires on them than the old 20th century 13-15 inch rims/wheels had. More HP too.
Anyway Officer here was no different than quite many adrenaline junkies & their traditional muscle cars & pickup trucks. Throw in more traffic congestion for population growth. I’ve driven thru the Destination Daytona area South to Tomoka Estates & even north of Granada SR 40 at times and it’s a miserable commute. It’s not getting any better as the development continues. Miami got like that decade ago when I left it. To get to work I’d leave an hour earlier to avoid traffic, Coming home an hour later than usual to avoid the gridlock. It’s another 2 hours uncompensated as an employee. I figure a decade later it’s probably just as bad & worse in Miami.
And there are times here in Palm Coast, I want nothing to do with Belle Terre. Anyone trying to make a left turn onto Belle Terre is just going to sit in traffic as the street back into the sub division just becomes a living hell waiting for a lull to leave. And that doesn’t even guarantee the other side of Belle Terre is cooperating for the conclusion of the left turn.
Rita Thompson Rita Thompson says
Well he just made a bad decision that cost him a very good career.
Pat Stot says
He sure did. I kinda agree with the person who said he might have been listening to music and just wasn’t paying attention.
Bobo says
I.guess the loud music caused him.to drive around the deployment of the stop sticks on.the road.
Fcso says
You gotta be kidding me he probably has the same mindset as you and the other person that made a similar comment…. And that mindset is I’m a white cop I can do WHATEVER I WANT
bill says
lots of flunky leo’s here , i’m sitting back and reading these articles and laughing for a bunch of assholes they are I’m enjoying my $80,000 a year pension with full medical coverage paid for by the department because I did not act like an asshole. I obey the law and done my job, according to the law and never thought I was above the law.
Skibum says
I hear ya, Bill. I too am enjoying my law enforcement retirement and medical benefits earned after a lot of hard work over 29 years out west, advancing to the rank of lieutenant. I just have to shake my head in astonishment. It’s really not that hard to be a good cop.
I just don’t know what gets into people to be such boneheads and go down the path that completely upends their law enforcement career into self-destruction. I believe part of the problem is the old “John Wayne syndrome” with inexperienced, immature cops who think they are invincible, that their badges are a lot bigger than they are, which makes them to stupid and often dangerous things that put themselves and others in jeopardy for no reason.
You want what should be huge red flags on a promotional candidate? Go ahead and put a two-year LEO who is just 28 years old in a detective position with his own take home vehicle, and well, close your eyes, hold your breath and hope to hell this type of incident is not going to happen. Better heads SHOULD have prevailed!
Bobo Huston says
First question. Was this 28 year old ever employed as a police officer from.a different state. Like did he grow up here or did he move here . Was he a cop from.NY and got hired by the FCSO. All.these questions matter. Sometimes cops from.other depts like to play games with cops in a different dept. Thinking when.they get stopped he flips out his shield and goes on.his merry way. I pretty confident that this clown knew he had a police car after him loud music my butt. He drive around the stop.sticks
The sheriff should wait until he goes before a judge and then after that TERMINATION SHOULD FOLLOW. . Nip it in.the bud. Send this clown packing. He put the public at risk, he put police officers at risk . He needs to.go and go fast to.the unemployment line.
Shark says
It’s amazing how everyone just accepts this behavior. If it ways me I would probably be spending the night in jail and lose my driving privileges. This clown will get a slap on the wrist and will be driving to work in his taxpayer supplied vehicle in a few days.
Samuel L. Bronkowitz says
I can only imagine the replies here if the officer was black
JimboXYZ says
Oh just stop it ?
Mike P says
Why bring up Colin Haggerty from 15 months ago? He doesn’t have anything to do with Coma’s situation?
Unequal penalties says
Well the officee who shot his neighbor on the Mondex is still working BUT a minor speeding violation gets ya suspended ?
Somethings wrong with this picture.
I guess because it was out of county slick Rick Staley couldn’t cover it up ??
JimboXYZ says
90 mph in a 45 mph zone is not a minor speeding infraction, 2X over the speed limit, 45 mph over the speed limit. That’s a super speeder level infraction. I don’t see too many FCSO officers doing 90 mph on 45 mph Belle Terre ?
Might be a stretch for evading & running from the Ormond Beach PD ? I mean, it’s not like the FCSO officer was turning down side streets going even faster than the 90 mph, driving thru the grassy medians or even on the wrong side of US-1. And for a police officer to turn around & catch up to a vehicle going 90 mph, you know how much distance that would take ? The time, what speed the officer would have to achieve to catch the super speeder ? How many miles ?
Clare says
I’ve been helped by Officer Coma before. He was kind, understanding, and excellent with my children. He helped protect us against an absolutely insane neighbor and I wrote to his supervisor to let him know. I don’t think what he did is right but hope he can continue to help more people in the future in his current position.
Dennis G Lynch says
I guess all these key board warriors on here can’t wait to hear what the courts and an internal investigation reveal. I sure wouldn’t want to be judged by many of you.
Merry Christmas!
Skibum says
Dennis, maybe you are not aware of reality. Maybe you have never heard of the reality, whether it is good or bad, that just one “aw shit” can erase a whole lot of “atta boys”. Or the old saying that it takes a career to build one’s reputation, and only a few minutes to destroy it.
I believe this young, inexperienced and immature detective is just on the cusp of realizing his reality right about now. His career might well survive this huge ding, maybe not. But in either case, this will surely be a life lesson he is not likely to forget. And hopefully NEVER repeat!
Concerned Citizen says
I guess Oath’s and Sworn positions don’t matter anymore.
I took my first Oath with the United States Airforce. I upheld that Oath. And finished a career honorably. My second career as a LEO began with an Oath. And as I moved over to Fire Rescue I continued to uphold the values brought up in a life time of public service.
When a sworn individual breaks that oath he/she has committed a separate offense along with criminal charges. It’s called Malfeasance Of Office.And that individual should be rightfully charged, Because they are held to higher standards. Sadly that rarely happens.
The good ol boy network in Flagler County will embrace Detective Coma. He will receive some sort of minor disciplinary action. Then be reinstated. Remember the Detective that liked to beat women? And then all of this will be swept under the rug.
This Sheriff’s Office continues to have serious issues. And needs an overhaul. And new leadership. How much longer will we continue to allow Wyatt Earp to run Flagler unchecked? And yes I fault Staly. In any organization leadership starts at the top.
Ray W. says
I grew up in a house commonly filled with unusual legal stories.
I commonly told young lawyers that if they wanted to truly learn about the practice of law, they needed to take my father to lunch in Jacksonville. When they asked why Jacksonville, I told them they had to ride in a car with him all the way up and all the way back. Just going to lunch would not be enough.
One such young adult story involved Uncle Ralph Clayton defending a fisherman who had failed to stop on command his aluminum john boat equipped with a powerful unmuffled outboard engine. The state game & fish officer followed him, allegedly with siren blaring, but couldn’t catch him. He told the jury that when he got to his favored early morning location, he noticed the law enforcement vessel behind him.
A truck towing a boat trailer was parked in front of the courthouse early on trial morning to preserve the spot close to the courthouse entrance.
During Uncle Ralph’s closing argument, four men lifted the john boat off the trailer and carried it up the stairs of the old DeLand courthouse into the second-story courtroom. One of the four pulled the starter handle and ran the engine at full throttle before the four rapidly retreated down the stairs and back to the trailer with the boat, ensuring a rapid getaway.
Not guilty!
Make of this what you will.
Dirtbag says
Just to clarify…
Flagler owned (and insured) vehicle…
Driving 88 MPH on RT 1 North in Volusia…..
Ignored and evaded an official Volusia County Deputy Police stop…..
I don’t know about you, but HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE A DEPARTMENT TO DEPLOY STOP STICKS?????
At least 20 25 minutes in my book.
And then successfully avoided such STOP STICKS?
These are the ones we need to thank for their service?
This guy gotta go
And for all you bots that say he was “Listening to music”
I know a dirt bag when I see one.
Tony says
The sad thing is that it doesn’t matter if he loses his job because another police agency will hire him without even doing a background check !!!