It started Friday evening (Feb. 4) with a traffic cop in an unmarked car. The Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, Daniel Weaver, pulled over Kevin Leon Spearmon, 37, on Cypress Edge Drive, after watching him make allegedly unsafe maneuvers.
Weaver knows Spearmon’s record. Many deputies do, many local and state corrections officers do as well, in several prisons across the state. He’s spent seven of the last 16 years in prison in four different stints mostly for two type of charges: drug possession or trafficking, and fleeing cops. He’s accumulated most of his charges and innumerable felony convictions in Flagler, with a few in Volusia and St. Johns counties.
But until Friday he’d not been jailed in almost four years, his last incarceration going back to a 24-hour booking for a felony charge of habitually driving on a revoked license and resisting an officer. He was found guilty on both and served a little over half a year’s house arrest. His term was ended early for complying with all rules.
Friday night did not go as well for Spearmon, and culminated with statements alluding to his desire for suicide by cop.
At the traffic stop he was initially “extremely argumentative,” according to Weaver’s arrest report, couldn’t find his proof of insurance, and rolled up his window as he told Weaver to just write him a ticket. Weaver planned to write him a warning. But he’d also requested a drug-sniffing dog. Just as another deputy was speaking with Spearmon, Spearmon drove off. He ran a red light, drove against traffic, crossed over the median and turned onto Pine Cone Drive.
For a moment he’d pulled away about half a mile from the deputies, who did not set chase because the offense did not match with chase criteria. They found him at a red light behind another car at Lupi Court and Palm Coast Parkway. A marked patrol car stopped in front of the front vehicle, only for Spearmon to back out and speed off again, narrowly missing one of the patrol cars. From there, he sped north on Belle Terre Parkway at an estimated 100 mph, according to his arrest report. Deputies successfully deployed stop sticks at Bayside Drive, damaging the vehicle’s tires. Spearmon turned on Bird of Paradise as one of his tires began to shred. The vehicle, a black Nissan, halted at Bunker Hill and Spearmon took off on foot.
Weaver, who’d followed, yelled at him to get on the ground. Spearmon for a time continued, “kept his right hand in his right shorts pocket as he was fleeing,” the report states, and finally complied when a deputy told him his dog was after him. He then told deputies he’d ingested 14 Lortabs, also known as hydrocodone, a pain-killing narcotic. Deputies summoned a Flagler County Rescue, and Spearmon was rushed to AdventHealth Palm Coast. Somewhere along the line he told a deputy that he wanted law enforcement to kill him. He was well enough hours later: he was booked at the county jail at 10:27 p.m.
Searching various areas, deputies found a Walmart bag containing almost 133 grams of pot, , 8.8 grams of fentanyl, almost 5 grams of cocaine, 11 pills and 5.6 grams of MDMA.
Spearmon, 37, of 1B Bunker Knolls Lane faces 10 new charges, including two first-degree felony charges of trafficking fentanyl and trafficking cocaine within 1,000 feet of a place where children gather, and three second degree felonies, two of them allegations of aggravated assault on an officer. He is being held on $147,500 bond at the Flagler County jail.
“I was on patrol with our team and saw first-hand the outstanding work of our deputies protecting the community moments after his capture,” said Sheriff Rick Staly said in a release, remarking on the substantial amount of fentanyl seized. “Solid law enforcement tactics by deputies involved in this dangerous apprehension led to the end of his run and a trip to jail.”
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Pete Di Giulio says
Another One Bites The Dust
Great Job.F.C.S.O.
STAY SAFE!!! WHOLE DEPARTMENT.
Tv says
He is my landscaper. So glad you are holier than thou. No violent altercations. F you.
SHELIA hinds says
This is the perfect example for the mental health system to intervene. Don’t we have a new facility in Flagler county? Let’s put it to use.
Mark says
Let’s just keep locking up strong, able bodied, men, with determination and the willingness to do whatever it takes to succeed. This man could be such a great asset for our city. Imagine the lives he can touch and the good he could do. But instead you force him to live in prison conditions his whole life creating resentment for the system and the community he belongs too. Help these young people be better, not just lock them up and throw away the key. Spearmon is a proud and prominent name in my community and men like this could be leaders if treated fairly and with compassion.
Mark says
Don’t be ridiculous. He should spend the rest of his life in prison.
Common Sense says
Lol did see your reply !
Mark says
That’s a different Mark and yes I am for real. These young men and woman could be great leaders but instead we lock them up for life. I personally think this young man should get some counseling and become a positive public figure to our children at school functions. We need men like Kevin Spearmon!
Common Sense says
The federal government, all the way down to individual cities in America spend nearly 100 billion dollars combined a year on the mass revolving incarceration door.
The wheels of the bus of America have come completely off and common sense people now are just biting their nails as the bus veers directly to the cliff of no return.
This man will inevitably continue to escalate his crimes as he subconsciously knows there are no real consequences. Then all the hot air talking heads will wonder how this could happen.
Me Too says
Leader in what? Drug dealing/trafficking?
Common Sense says
You can’t be for real with your comment !
It’s the systems fault that this man has failed to be a contributor to society in a positive way !!!!!
A.j says
Thank GOD Noone was killed. Unwise decisions is not a good thing. We all have made them.
John says
They just never seem to learn, guess they like the accommodations in the big house.
Shark says
I thought you needed probable cause to search a car ?????
Tavern on the green says
Kevin
Is a pleasant young man he has taken care of our estate home (yard & trees) for TWO years helped us with the hurricane boarding up windows I don’t know him personally but as a professional man he was always polite and pleasant he was a trustworthy man and worked damn hard. There is NO EXCUSE for this ACT at all NONE I do not support ANY TYPE of DRUG use/ habit just no excuse for what he did with the officers it was WRONG! No question I am just posting because I knew him personally from being out yard work ONLY. Never had an issue and always trustworthy for us. So sorry this happened to Kevin I hope he gets the help he truly needs and has time to think about his actions and how to now correct his life. He worked so hard trying to get his business up and running it’s a damn shame.
joe stolfi says
Cops & Robbers as I see the Drug War ..
Sadly, somebodies will step into their place
it’s the way the game works, cops & robbers .
The “War on Drugs” is over 50 years old,
only the “investors” win, losers get caught,
and go to J A I L, or maybe, lose their life in a bad deal ..
It’s past time the “War on Drugs” changes,
perhaps the USA will take a look at Portugal
and follow their example ..
Then again, what will happen to the game ? .. Cops & robbers
Willie says
Defund the police. End cash bail. Early release regardless of criminal past. Refuse to prosecute certain crimes. Put a message out criminals are victims. Put a message out we’re soft on crime.
All democrat ideologies.
Crime is up across the country.
Democrats have failed the country when it comes to public safety.
Dennis says
Soft on crime judges set this guy free. Will mostly be free again soon. It’s about time to start being tough on crime with way higher bail and scheduled prison time.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Sorry guys but this man will be a criminal all his life..He just cant fit into normal society, nor does he want to. 3 strikes and your out!
GJ says
Good luck with that. Lemme know how it works out for you 😏.
Francesca says
This guy almost killed my fiance by driving recklessly on Friday. Why isn’t this guy punished more harshly after so many arrests?
Ridiculous
ASF says
He needs to be incarcerated and any treatment/halfway housing he receives once released should be located FAR away from his usual “hunting grounds.”
William says
The system needs a program to get people jobs most people don’t get a chance so they go back to selling drugs or whatever its no excuse but the system needs program to offer these people jobs and training teach them skills the system never made any sense everybody’s situation is different but I would like to see the system change jail or prison just isn’t the answer sometime people just need a little guidance or help getting their life together not just jail or prison all the time
Me Too says
A lot of people that have already lived this type of life do not want to go to making minimum wage…even if it is $15/hr
Common Sense says
Is Palm Coast the new Camden New Jersey !
The federal government, all the way down to individual cities in America spend nearly 100 billion dollars combined a year on the mass revolving incarceration door.
The wheels of the bus of America have come completely off and common sense people now are just biting their nails as the bus veers directly to the cliff of no return.
This man will inevitably continue to escalate his crimes as he subconsciously knows there are no real consequences. Then all the hot air talking heads will wonder how this could happen.