The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says 40 registered sex offenders and predators were arrested during a three-day operation targeting compliance with Florida’s sex offender registration requirements.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Department of Corrections for Operation Offenders: Endgame, conducted Aug. 25-27. According to FCSO, the operation resulted in 42 total arrests and 168 felony registration violation charges.
FCSO’s Major Case Unit, FDLE’s Missing Persons and Offender Enforcement Division and the FDC Office of Community Corrections deployed enforcement teams throughout Flagler County. Detectives, special agents and probation officers contacted 84 registrants and conducted compliance checks, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The operation resulted in the arrests of 39 sex offenders and one sexual predator for registry-related violations, FCSO reported. Before the operation, FDLE analysts reviewed all 139 registered sex offenders and predators in Flagler County, which authorities said led to the early detection of numerous registration violations.
“Operation Offenders: Endgame demonstrates our commitment to holding offenders accountable and safeguarding our community with proactive enforcement efforts,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Anyone living in Flagler County who is on the sex offender/predator list should see these arrests and understand the importance and consequences of not complying with their registration requirements.”
Staly also credited FCSO’s Major Case Unit and thanked FDLE and the FDC Office of Community Corrections for their support and resources.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said the operation demonstrated the cooperation between the agencies.
“The success of this operation is the result of the incredible teamwork between our agencies and combined resources,” Glass said. “FDLE will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to help keep our communities safe.”
Arrests
FCSO identified those arrested during the operation as:
- Adrian Agostinho, 46, Palm Coast: Failure to report internet identifier.
- Mark Balzarotti, 66, Bunnell: Failure to properly register change in vehicle ownership.
- Michael Belgarde, 58, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership, failure to report changes to employment information and three counts of knowingly providing false registration information.
- Mickey Berwaldt, 57, Palm Coast: Violation of probation involving internet access.
- Daniel Biles, 52, Palm Coast: Failure to register email/internet identifier, failure to report change in vehicle ownership and knowingly providing false registration information.
- Erik Boyce, 40, Palm Coast: Failure to properly report change in vehicles owned, four counts of failure to register email/internet identifier and violation of probation.
- James Brown, 51, Bunnell: Violation of probation involving internet access.
- Calib Callard, 39, Bunnell: Failure to properly report change in vehicle ownership and violation of probation.
- Robert Clark, 63, Palm Coast: Sexual predator charged with two counts of failure to register vehicle information and six counts of knowingly providing false registration information.
- John Copsy, 45, Bunnell: Four counts of failure to report change in vehicle ownership, 15 counts of failure to report internet identifiers and six counts of knowingly providing false registration information.
- Kevin Culmone, 43, Palm Coast: Violation of probation involving internet access.
- Andrei Dotin, 36, Palm Coast: Violation of probation involving internet access and viewing pornography and failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Peter Fallon, 65, Bunnell: Four counts of failure to register email/internet identifier.
- Travis Fureigh, 36, Palm Coast: Violation of probation, failure to report change in vehicle ownership, two counts of failure to register email/internet identifier and three counts of providing false registration information.
- Elijah George, 58, Palm Coast: Two counts of failure to register email/internet identifier and failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Eric Giddens, 55, Bunnell: Two counts of failure to report change in vehicle ownership, three counts of failure to register email/internet identifier and failure to respond to an address verification letter.
- Anthony Hendra, 35, Palm Coast: Failure to register internet identifier, failure to report change in vehicle ownership and providing false registration information.
- Elijah Jackson, 58, Bunnell: Violation of probation and knowingly providing false registration information.
- Mark Jelsik, 56, St. Augustine: Failure to properly report after vacating a residence and failure to report change of driver’s license address.
- Brenda Kennedy, 59, Bunnell: Two counts of failure to properly register and two counts of knowingly providing false registration information.
- Darius Madden, 31, Bunnell: Three counts of failure to register email/internet identifier, knowingly providing false registration information and violation of probation.
- Ashley Mitchell, 62, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in phone number.
- James Mitchell, 54, Palm Coast: Three counts of failure to register email/internet information, failure to report change in vehicle ownership and knowingly providing false registration information.
- Chad Shiffler, 42, transient: Failure to report after vacating a residence and failure as a transient resident to report every 30 days.
- Shawn Smith, 46, Bunnell: 13 counts of failure to register email/internet identifier, failure to register change in phone number, knowingly providing false registration information and failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Jarrett Valley, 46, Palm Coast: Three counts of failure to register email/internet identifier, two counts of failure to report change in vehicle ownership and four counts of knowingly providing false information.
- Rod Walton, 60, Palm Coast: Failure to register email/internet identifier and failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- John Weis, 28, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Larry Williams, 57, Bunnell: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership and knowingly providing false registration information.
- Wayne Williams, 57, Bunnell: Four counts of failure to report internet identifiers, two counts of failure to report email addresses and failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Robert Cousins, 51, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership, failure to report change in employment and five counts of knowingly providing false information on registration.
- Pedro Carvajal, 79, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Gary Durso, 63, Palm Coast: Failure to report internet identifier.
- Joseph Nichols, 60, Bunnell: Two counts of failure to report internet identifier.
- Brant Brockdorff, 59, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Anthony Engle, 43, Palm Coast: Two counts of failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Jay Morelewicz, 42, Palm Coast: Two counts of failure to report change in vehicle ownership, failure to report internet identifier, failure to report email address and two counts of providing false registration information.
- Brian Odum, 44, Palm Coast: Failure to report change in vehicle ownership and five counts of failure to report internet identifiers.
- Rasheem Dupree, 46, Palm Coast: Three counts of failure to report change in vehicle ownership.
- Kenyata Howard, 50, Bunnell: Two counts of failure to report change of vehicle ownership, six counts of failure to report email addresses/internet identifiers and five counts of providing false registration information.
The Sheriff’s Office also reported what it called a “bonus arrest” of Richard Knowles, 37, of Daytona Beach, who was not a sex offender registrant. FCSO said Knowles was charged with four counts of possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegally harvesting saw palmetto berries. His vehicle was also seized for asset forfeiture.
All of the arrestees were taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
Florida law imposes different registration requirements depending on an offender’s classification. Failure to comply with required registration is a felony. The violations alleged during the operation included failing to report vehicles, phone numbers, email addresses and internet identifiers, as well as knowingly providing false registration information, the Sheriff’s Office said.
