FCSO Volunteer COP Nets Arrest Of Flagler County Fugitive

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Flagler Beach, FL - A routine patrol by a member of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office (FCSO) Citizens Observer Patrol (COP) ends with the arrest of 40-year-old Heather Staffa, a wanted fugitive in Flagler County.

Last Wednesday (June 5), a COP was approached by the Bulow Camp Grounds manager, reporting that there was a suspicious vehicle on camp property. The manager said they'd asked the driver and passenger to leave but they refused.

The COP found the vehicle in question and radioed the COP dispatcher with the vehicle's information and a request for a patrol deputy to respond.

Deputies arrived and found Staffa asleep behind the wheel. They woke her, confirmed her identity and placed her under arrest for an outstanding warrant for Violation of Probation for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Tampering with Evidence.

The arrest on June 5 is the third for Staffa since September 2018. FCSO says her criminal history with them dates back to 2011 on various drug charges, child neglect and domestic violence.

When deputies searched Staffa's vehicle, they found a purse containing a glass pipe and a glass vial both containing a white crystal-like substance. They tested positive for Methamphetamine. She told deputies that the drugs belonged to her.

Deputies asked Staffa what she was doing at the campground. She told deputies that she was on her way to rehab later that day but wanted to take a shower first.

“This is a great example of how a routine patrol by one of our volunteer COP’s and an observant resident reporting suspicious behavior can lead to taking a wanted fugitive off the streets,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Thanks to the excellent job done by our COP this repeat offender was apprehended.
Hopefully this literal ‘wake-up call’ will get her back on the right and she will use the STRIDE programs available at the jail to help overcome her addiction.”

Staffa is being held at the Flagler County Jail on additional charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She is being held without bond.

The passenger with Staffa was released at the scene of her arrest.