Early in the afternoon of Saturday (Dec. 22), a 15-year-old boy reported to a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy that as he was walking the path around the pond at Graham Swamp, a man twice his age approached him and allegedly engaged in inappropriate sexual acts.
The 15-year-old is referred to as C.R. in a police report that narrates the incident. According to that report, C.R. told authorities that a man of about 30, wearing dark shades, a black shirt and a jacket, pulled down his pants and exposed himself to the boy. Then, according to the report, the man “grabbed the juvenile,” pulled the juvenile’s pants and underwear down, and touched his genitals. C.R. told police he was able to break free, run to the parking lot, call the cops, then call his parents, who then arrived at the scene.
The deputy searched the area where the encounter had been reported and made contact with Jason Stockwell, 33, of 48 Clubhouse Drive. Stockwell, who matched the description C.R. had provided, was brought in the presence of C.R., who positively identified the older man as the person with whom he’d had the encounter, according to the report.
Deputies spoke with an 81-year-old man who told them that he had been sitting in his truck in the Graham Swamp parking lot when he saw a red vehicle pull up and a man—allegedly, Stockwell—exit the vehicle and begin walking down a path. The 81-year-old man then saw C.R. walking behind Stockwell, as if following him from a distance of about 6 to 10 feet. The older man then lost sight of both, only to see Stockwell later walking by himself on the trail.
Interviewed by detectives, Stockwell denied the allegation, “but did give statements that were conflicting with the victim’s statements,” the police report states. He was arrested on a count of lewd or lascivious molestation of a victim older than 12 but younger than 18, and booked at the Flagler County jail.
Stockwell’s arrest is the third involving sexual acts at Graham Swamp since October, but the first involving an allegation of misconduct involving a minor. In October, two men were arrested after exposing themselves to undercover cops, and masturbating—what Florida law terms “unnatural and lascivious acts.”
In that incident, Arthur Bellany, a 59-year-old resident of Roundmill Lane in Palm Coast, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor earlier this month and paid a fine and court costs of $423. Gary Thompson, 43, of West Place in Palm Coast, was arrested the same day, a couple of hours later, at Graham Swamp, on similar charges. He pleaded guilty to both counts (indecent exposure and unnatural and lascivious act) and was sentenced to six months’ probation.
No written complaints of deviant behavior on the preservation trails have been received by the Sheriff’s Office, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office wrote in a release.
ANONYMOUSAY says
This is nuts! Excuse the pun.
Stevie says
Isn’t this just his orientation? Sex doesn’t hurt anyone, right? Did the public schools have anything to do with this man’s moral point of view?
This is the real cliff we are on. The kids that were brought up in public schools from broken homes because the parents rebelled against the principles of discipline they were supposed to follow as parents. The government subsidized the whole mess and has ramped up the ante.
Dave says
What a sick place Palm Coast has become to live in , Maybe its time to close down these parks to help prevent some of these sick act’s , That’s not to say these kinds of people will not just find another place but it to say way too many bad things are happening there , to bad there isn’t a law that requires these kinds of people to have a bumper stickers on their cars and signs on their front lawn stating they are convicted perverts or child molesters.
DoubleGator says
Maybe the city can spare 3-4 of their 70-80 traffic cameras and put them in the Graham Swamp area so that we can get some real benefit out of a few of them. I think the cameras would run these folks off and do some real good.
Dadgum says
…More to this story but still underage?
Pamala Zill says
DOUBLEGATOR has an interesting and valid suggestion. These cameras allegedly. Protect people. And prevent crimes? ALRIGHT, PUT THEM IN ALL THE PARKS AND SCHOOLS. SUMPLE SOLUTION.
Deep South says
You can go ton line to FDLE and it will give you the names of sexual predators, and where they live. Go way to know if any of these predators live in your neighborhood. But don’t let this incident close our trails and parks down. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and report anything suspicious.
confidential says
@ Dave…Palm Coast is not a sick place. These perverts are everywhere. What happens with Palm Coast; is that not having its own police department for real financial reasons, depends on the County Sheriff for patrolling and law enforcement and given the lack of it, is why we elected a new Sheriff.
With Jim Manfre we used to have our team of bicycle patrols deputies, that can get easily in our miles of parks walkways and trails, but the current top lawman did away with them. Hope Jim brings them back and puts more of our too many top brass to do the real jobs, patrolling and safeguarding us all.
Our parks and Graham Swamp can’t be closed over these perverts, because our residents and competitive cyclist use those trails for walking or mountain biking…Instead would be a good idea mentioned here to install surveillance cameras if possible…I don’t know if can be done with solar generators given the fact that probably no power is available in the Swamp. Also the law needs to be harsher when one of this sicko’s is caught and proven guilty! Also signs warning of the video surveillance monitoring for the public safety.
Anonymous says
Maybe the new sheriff will use the COP’S and the explorers to help patrol these areas. Or are we going to get the Same sheriff we had 8 years ago?
patti bissonnette says
What ever happened to the buddy system? Granted that an adult knows better than to behave that way, but these sick bastards do it anyway! We have to educate our kids to be smart about their own safety…that kid had no business back their alone, as sad as that is…you have to be smart. If you are going to allow your teens to go back there alone..at least teach them self-defense or have them carry some wasp or pepper spray!!!
getittogether says
Yet another reason why the 2nd amendment should not be repealed. Mr. Stockwell would be missing some very crucial equipment if he pulled a stunt like that with me.
Trollololo says
Why would the boy be following a grown man into the woods alone? Sounds fishy to me, was this a set up to catch a predator?
Geezer says
You seem to have struck a cord here!
Steve says
COP’s and Explorers? You don’t want citizens, which is what these two groups equate too, locating these people in the woods. The Explorers are from 14-22 years old, not such a good plan. The COP’s have no enforcement ability, so when they diddler runs the COP is going to have to call a Deputy…
Outsider says
Why do these creeps have to whack off in a public park? If you have some sort of a palm tree fetish, go entertain yourself in some of the thousands of unoccupied acres of forest in the area, or better yet, put a potted sago in your bathroom.
ryan says
How about we put these people in jail and not let them just get probation? See what happens when we focus on yard sales and code enforcement of trivial crap and not on making sure that pedophiles feel they will be given no protection? I hope acts like what this scumbag did are considered forcible felonies and that they are not protected.
ryan says
People that rape children or try to do not have any place in society. We have too many innocent children here and we should not have to live like this and I am curious as to why the police will not be more aggressive about pedophiles. It makes no sense.
Curt says
Its not the parks that are the problem its the sick asshole child molesters that are the problem here. So instead of closing the parks that some of us love to ride at or walk at maybe we should keep these depraved lunatics behind bars!!!!