Bunnell, FL - The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says 20-year-old Christian Melendez is accruing more criminal charges, even as he already sits in the Flagler County Jail. New DNA evidence links him to a firearm he threw from the window of his car in March of this year while being pursued by deputies.
The DNA was acquired during "Operation Heat Wave" in August 2019. Melendez was arrested and charged with Trafficking Heroin on August 20. He's been at the jail ever since and is being held without bond.
“When Melendez threw that gun out of his window, he gave no thought to where it might end up or the damage it could do in the wrong hands,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “He was only interested in one thing – getting away and getting rid of a gun. Thanks to our great detectives, undercover operations
like ‘Operation Heat Wave,’ and using DNA technology he will be held accountable.”
The gun was found after a chase on March 10, 2019. Melendez threw the gun away in Palm Coast. He and the car he was driving were eventually found in Daytona Beach. Though he's only 20-years-old, Melendez has been arrested in Flagler County seven times as an adult.
