The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office made 12 arrests during the weekend of November 14-17, responding to 589 calls for service and conducting 152 traffic stops. Two incidents resulted in notable arrests, including a DUI case where the driver attempted to destroy evidence and a road rage confrontation that escalated to violence.
DUI Crash Leads to Evidence Tampering Charge
Deputies responded to a single-vehicle crash on Lakeview Boulevard in Palm Coast on Saturday evening after a vehicle collided with the center median at high speed, damaging the median and plants owned by the City of Palm Coast.
When deputies arrived, they observed the driver, Maciek Trzeciak, 37, of Palm Coast, speaking with fire-rescue personnel. Deputies noticed Trzeciak had difficulty standing and displayed slurred and mumbled speech. As deputies spoke with him, he continued having trouble standing, nearly falling several times and requiring his vehicle for balance.
Deputies initiated a DUI investigation and conducted field sobriety exercises, which Trzeciak failed. Following the exercises, deputies arrested him and transported him to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility.
At the jail, Trzeciak provided breath tests that showed no alcohol in his system. Because the test results did not match the level of impairment deputies observed, they contacted a drug recognition evaluator. After the evaluation, Trzeciak provided a urine sample that was submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing.
Before being booked into jail, deputies transported Trzeciak to AdventHealth Palm Coast for medical clearance. During transport, deputies noticed Trzeciak pull a cylindrical object from his waistband. When deputies asked about the object, he opened it, removed an unknown item, and swallowed it. Deputies later reviewed backseat camera footage, which showed Trzeciak swallowing multiple pills.
Flagler County Fire Rescue responded and evaluated Trzeciak, finding his vital signs were normal.
“This guy did something incredibly dumb that could have cost him his life when he thought he could get rid of evidence without deputies knowing,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Instead, he was arrested for a felony when all he was originally facing was a misdemeanor.”
Deputies arrested Trzeciak for DUI with property damage and tampering with evidence. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later released on $3,500 bond. Body camera footage from the arrest is available for viewing.
Road Rage Incident Results in Two Arrests
Deputies responded to a reported disturbance with weapons stemming from a road rage incident in the E-Section of Palm Coast on Sunday afternoon. According to the 911 caller, four people were verbally arguing in the middle of the road, and one of them pulled out a firearm.
When deputies arrived, they observed three men and one woman arguing in the roadway. One of the men told deputies he was the one with the firearm and allowed deputies to secure it. Deputies separated the parties, conducted interviews, and reviewed surveillance videos from houses near the scene.
Based on the evidence, deputies determined the parties exited their vehicles and began verbally arguing after one driver believed the other was following too closely. During the dispute, Michael Duvall, 27, of Palm Coast, was seen on video getting into another man’s face. The argument escalated when Duvall knocked off the hat of Mark James, 59, of Palm Coast, and struck him numerous times. James then drew a firearm and exposed the weapon to Duvall.
“This is how road rage escalates, and all of this could have been avoided if both men had kept calm, de-escalated, and called the Sheriff’s Office,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “A road rage incident should never escalate to the point that punches are thrown, and a gun is drawn. Fortunately, this did not escalate to a shooting or a homicide over a perceived traffic infraction.”
Deputies arrested Duvall for breach of peace and battery. James was arrested for breach of peace. Both men were transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. Duvall was later released on $1,250 bond, while James was released on $250 bond.
The weekend’s law enforcement activity demonstrates common scenarios deputies encounter, from impaired driving incidents that become more serious when suspects attempt to destroy evidence, to traffic disputes that escalate into physical confrontations. Both cases resulted in additional charges beyond the original offenses due to the suspects’ actions after the initial incidents.
The post Weekend Arrests Include DUI Driver Who Swallowed Pills and Road Rage Incident Turned Violent first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
