The victim of an alleged armed robbery was so upset at being robbed Tuesday evening that the following morning he went looking for his assailant–and found him. The alleged assailant, Cody Wilson, 26, of 6024 Oceanshore Boulevard in the Hammock, was charged with armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon: he’d had two convictions in Mississippi, including for car theft.
According to Wilson’s arrest report, Justin Dawson, 35, told Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies he was sitting alone in his Dodge Dakota in the driveway of his house at 20 Armand Beach Drive in the Hammock the night of Nov. 21, smoking marijuana. He’d inhaled three hits from his orange and blue glass pipe, he told a deputy (an act that, when eyed by deputies, frequently leads to arrest in Flagler County) when he heard a noise in back of his truck. He thought his cat had jumped on. But when he stepped out to look, he saw a white man in his mid-30s and a goatee, tattooed on both arms, wearing a shiny silver necklace with a disco-ball-like pendant and a t-shirt imprinted with the words “I like to f++k.” (The t-shirt had plus signs instead of letters.)
The man allegedly had a black gun and was approaching Wilson.
Dawson “and the suspect briefly struggled over the weapon,” the arrest report states. “The suspect then manipulated the slide and a round was ejected from the firearm. The suspect asked for drugs or anything valuable. Justin gave the male his cell phone and his ‘bowl’ which the male put in his left pants pocket.”
It was an odd encounter. The suspect asked Dawson to take him into his home. Dawson refused. The man then tried to return Dawson’s cell phone, dropped it, picked it up, wiped it off and handed it back to Dawson, saying he’d been down on his luck. He then told Dawson to sit on his hands until he was gone. He then fled toward the road.
Dawson called 911. A deputy later found a 9mm Speed Luger bullet on the ground near Dawson’s truck.
Wilson jumped in his truck and fled. Dawson, according to the report, “hung onto the truck for a short period of time and was drug by the truck.”
Wilson was located, as was his 26-year-old girlfriend, who initially claimed Wilson had been with her the entire previous evening only to then concede that he left her at around 11 p.m. She said he wore a necklace similar to the one Dawson had described. She’d been present at the gas station when Dawson confronted Wilson, and said “it was unusual that Cody was no longer wearing his necklace.” She initially claimed that she and Wilson lived in the truck and had no guns, but another resident of the property at 6024 North Oceanshore, essentially a trailer park and homeless camp, told deputies that the couple had a tent there. Wilson’s girlfriend at that point conceded they had a 10-person tent and gave permission for it to be searched.
She also said she owned a Highpoint 9mm firearm and that the last time she’d seen it was the previous evening. The gun was located in the tent. So was Wilson’s glass pipe. Wilson was booked at the county jail, where he remained today on $110,000 bond.
“The fact that the victim gave such a clear description of the suspect helped a lot in this case,” Sheriff Rick Staly was quoted as saying in a release issued this morning. Referring to the county jail, he added of Wilson: “I hope he enjoys spending his Thanksgiving in the Green Roof Inn.”
The Geode says
At the risk of sounding like a knowit-all grammar police, the terminology used should have been “dragged” and not “drug(ed)”. Then again, everybody says “drug(ed)” anyway. Whatever…
Bc. says
Let’s hope the judge don’t let this guy walk it’s a miracle he was not killed by this criminal. Judges please keep the criminals off our streets it’s not like it is his first arrest. Now he is out robbing people armed with a gun it’s only a matter of time till he kills someone. 10 years at least
palmcoaster says
Our sheriff officers are very effective catching felons when we residents help them with tips and description of felons and their vehicles, clothing, companions, time and dates, etc.
Lets keep up the good work and keep these individuals out of our community.
Jane says
Shut the homeless camp down!! Keep the Hammock safe.
woody says
The Hammock?Not the P,R,F,S,Z,E,L,sections of Palm Coast?A pleasant change of pace.
ASF says
Probably trying to mellow out from all that Meth.
Terminus says
What is this? Redneck Plaza? Hillbilly Hills? Sounds like an episode of Duke’s of Hazard to me – just need the girl in the daisy dukes.
Jenn says
Totally fishy story
Anonymous says
This is what happens when the county commission gets involved with vacation rental regulating. What they are going to end up with is people who won’t buy in this area because of the political meddling and the Hammock is going to be a slum, because how values are going to go down and the county will loose revenue. Just look around in this county at all the real estate transactions, for sale signs, and foreclosures……keep up the good work BOCC and let your county attorney lead you around by the nose. He lives in the Hammock and can’t compete with the big money homeowners–Boo-Hoo
Anonymous says
What would the Sheriff do if it weren’t for the citizens doing their work for them making the Sheriff look good? Geeze…with all the patrols out there in each zone where were they when this was all unfolding? Looking forward to seeing who the next glorified LEO will be……like preschoolers getting a pat on the head just for doing what they are supposed to do. Our military don’t get the pats on the head like LEO’s, don’t get the high pay rates or high risk high rate retirement….something is wrong with this picture.
Concerned Citizen says
What i don’t understand is why the low bond on serious offenses? And why bond out at all on possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In my opinion certain offenses (especially violent ones) should have no bond set.
These people are repeat offenders and allowing them to post bond will often make it so they don’t show back up in court. It seems criminals have more rights than law abiding citizens do these days.
I hope the judge sees the fact that this person is clearly a threat to society. Stop giving this guy breaks he doesn’t deserve and please sentence accordingly without pleaing it down.
Finally I am sure this comment will anger some but regardless of where they are located these camps need to be shut down. They are dangerous, unsanitary and usually a haven for people like Cody Wilson.
It should be easy enough to do. Send in Law Enforcement to do clean the camps out as they are mostly trespassing when they set up.
Shark says
Finally – someone who knows how to investigate a crime !!!