As Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Jacob West was patrolling Palm Coast’s R-Section around 9 p.m. Tuesday, he spotted a vehicle allegedly run through a stop sign at Roundtree and Ravenwood drives, speed toward Rymfire Drive, then take several side streets, almost losing control along the way and blowing through another stop sign. At Ramble Lane and Ramblewood Drive, the car crashed into a culvert and ended in the front yard of the house at 126 Ramblewood. The car was heavily damaged.
Two occupants quickly got out and ran, according to their arrest report. They were Jacquise D. Gaines Smith, 18, and Alvero Jackson, 23, both of Jacksonville.
West ordered them to “get on the ground.” They ignored him, one running west toward Rae Drive, the other running north through various properties. West gave chase to the passenger but lost him near 130 Rae Drive.
Soon a deputy and his K-9 unit arrived and deployed the dog, which tracked down Gaines-Smith, who was hiding in the back patio at 4 Rivergate Lane. He did not have a valid driver’s license, though West had seen him at the wheel of the vehicle.
West went back to the vehicle, which would turn out to have an invalid license plate, though the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office informed local authorities that a Jacksonville resident had in fact sold the vehicle to Jackson three weeks earlier. The deputy noticed strange things in the vehicle: two beanies with their eyeholes cut out and several latex gloves. In the trunk, there were two pairs of bolt cutters and a baseball bat. A wallet belonging to a man in Miami Gardens was found in the glove box. The wallet contained numerous credit cards. John’s Towing of Bunnell eventually towed the car.
Gaines-Smith invoked his right not to speak to authorities and was booked at the Flagler County jail on charges of reckless driving, driving without a license, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting, all misdemeanors.
As he was being booked, and after getting support from a helicopter, other deputies located Jackson on Rymfire Drive. Jackson was especially concerned with what was going on with his car. When asked what he was doing in the area, he said he was on his way to Deltona to make amends with his grandmother. Asked why he was in Palm Coast’s R Section. Several miles from the Interstate, he said that’s where his GPS took him. He also said there was a third individual in the car—a man called “Randy” who he said had been driving, disputing West’s contention that Gaines-Smith was at the wheel.
“Everyone was running out of the driver’s door,” Jackson said in an apparent attempt to exonerate Gaines-Smith, even though West reported he had had the vehicle under observation until it crashed and hadn’t seen a third man exit the vehicle. Jackson told the deputy he ran away because he was scared, and didn’t remember hearing the deputy order him to the ground. He said he blacked out.
At the jail, Jackson changed his story, saying then that he was coming back from his aunt’s house on Round Mill lane in Palm Coast. He was booked on only a single misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer. In 2016 he was arrested in another county on charges of dealing in stolen property and grand theft, a felony.
His arrest report notes that a sheriff’s Sergeant that same evening, around the time of the incident, stopped two men walking in the area of Ravenwood Drive who were using a GPS on their phone to go back to the same Round Mill lane address Jackson had provided deputies as being his aunt’s. One of those two men had a busted lip. He declined medical attention, and did not explain the circumstances of the injury.
ASF says
Why were they not arrested for stealing the wallet of the Miami Gardens man? These are gang-bangers. Letting them off the hook is not doing society a favor.
Shark says
Time to get out of Palm Coast !!!!! They are ruining it !!!!!
Fernando Melendez says
So Jackson was booked on only a single misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer. In 2016 he was arrested in another county on charges of dealing in stolen property and grand theft, a felony. Clearly up to no good and looking for an opportunity, I hope this dynamic duo won’t be at it again shortly after they are released, because that’s what they’re going to get just a slap on the wrist.
Steve says
Looks like we need a WALL around PC
palmcoaster says
What about the high speed chase endangering our lives in our community streets and at night? Why aren’t they kept in jail? Misdemeanor…this is a Florida joke of justice!
Fredddy says
Both men are from Jacksonville and looking to commit a crime in Palm Coast. Good work FCSO for capturing these men.
BlueJammer says
Great job to Sheriff Staley, Deputy Jacob West, and all deputies of FCSO! You folks are the best!
reality check says
OK Bolt cutters, Gloves and masks, these are Breaking and entering tools, I drive my kid to Rymfire elementary everyday and find myself on raven wood twice daily, I would hope that any judge can OBVIOUSLY see the true intent of these thugs… Baseball bat? Was there also a mitt and a ball? Or just the bat. Thought so. These are criminals and certainly not athletes, at least when they are not running from the police they aren’t .
thomas says
I wonder what excuse a judge will find to spring these thugs
Kate l says
Kept me awake… nervous till 1 am . have to get my cCW. Can’t risk it any longer. Had thugs running behind our homes.. Helicopter over the street .not a good sign..great job and thank you for getting the punks off of the street. too scarey.
Jenn says
Charge them with felonies not a slap on the damn wrist. Wtf
Concerned res says
Good job FCSO. Make palm coast great again!
PcFC says
Steve have to reply to you and your wall comment. Drugs being brought to the U.S. is because of U.S. consumption. The people coming around the wall to enter are probably interested in work. The drugs will still arrive like always by air and sea. There is more crime in Palm Coast than in Mazatlan on a daily bases. This past weekend i believe like 10 shootings in Orlando area. In Mexico they keep their crime related to who is trying to take another cartell members business. Basic citizens are left alone home break in, probably 0, stollen bicycles 1, things like that. They might drink a little and get in a fight but its rare. You need a lot more than a wall around PC. ,take these Middle School kids and High school kids on a tour of a childcare fatality taking care of the physically and challenged kids produced from parents of druggies, take them to tour the prisions filled with people from out selling drugs or stealing to get drugs. Do an advanced documentary of their life if drugs is going to be a choice. Drive them around to the homeless camps. Let them talk to these people , hey when you were my age what did you want to be when you grew up. See how many say i wanted to be a strung out junkie in and out of prision whose family finally had enough heartache out of me. Oh and i have changed now but my mom dyed last week i was locked up so she doesn’t know. I couldn’t go to her funeral because when i was out there hanging out with my friends , getting high, even stealing to get high was the most important thing . Thought it was cool.
FlaglerGrrl123 says
Go Jacob!!! You rock man – thanks for keeping us safe here in Flagler :)
Trailer Bob says
Thank you sheriffs department. This is what you get when you allow rentals in a highly populated area like PC. I have lived here about three years, and I can tell you one thing for sure…down here in this area they are WAY to lenient with the scumbags of society. In and out of confinement, only to strike again. We should have to be so lenient and wait until they murder someone or kill themselves. What these kids did is NOT just one of those “kids will be kids” activities. There could have very easily been someone killed the way they were driving, could have been your child or parent. Flagler judges better get their act together and do the job they are paid to do…pay by us decent working folks.
Jason says
This all happened in my backyard. I was out for a walk and noticed an undercover Mercedes wandering my gated community got home and there were 5 cops aggressively in search mode. I was impressed at how determined they were to get these guys for walking every inch of our neighborhood. Then the yelling started and, get on our feet with your hands in the air. Bam front row seats to watch the one get cuffed. Thanks FCSO!
Chris A Pickett says
and the face tattoo tells the entire story. This is WHY we have a second amendment in the USA. If someone violates your castle, it’s best to be ARMED and TRAINED. Simply owning a weapon is NOT enough, you MUST be proficient with it.
bob says
more broken down families with no father figure to guide them through life
then they call it racisim what a joke instead of having these so called
marches which do nothing mans heart needs to be changed by
the lord jesus christ or the depravity will continue that is why
we have all these thugs they have no proper up bringing
they have a form of godliness but deny the power therof.
that is why the jails are overpopulated with these young
thugsour society is crumbling because the churches are
apostate.acts 4-12, john14-6, john3-3
Anonymous says
Thank you FCSO for all the speeders you stop on old kings road doing 60 and higher on old kings road, I don’t think FCSO know what radar is . If it’s not dressing up as swat members , kicking down doors and getting into pursuits than they want to do nothing else. They delegated almost all of the basic law enforcement duties to a bunch of old wannabe’s ,