A 50-year-old Debary man faces multiple charges after authorities say he broke into a vehicle at a Palm Coast beach park and used stolen credit cards to make fraudulent purchases at local stores.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robert Foote on Wednesday following an investigation that began on November 7, when deputies responded to a vehicle burglary report at Varn Park in Palm Coast.
The victim told deputies she was at the beach when fraud alerts began appearing on her cellphone about suspicious charges at a Walmart Supercenter. When she returned to her unlocked vehicle, she discovered it had been burglarized and that several items, including multiple credit cards, were missing.
Deputies reviewing surveillance footage at Walmart identified a suspect using the stolen cards to buy an e-bike and a gift card. The footage showed the person leaving the store in a black Ford F-150, which matched a vehicle seen circling Varn Park earlier. Investigators later determined the suspect attempted to use the stolen cards at three other Palm Coast stores.
The case was assigned to the Sheriff’s Office General Assignment Unit, and detectives identified Foote as the suspect through their investigation.
On Wednesday, the Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit spotted Foote’s vehicle on State Road 100. Detectives observed the vehicle slowly circling parking lots at Airport Commons shopping center and the Hilton Garden Inn, behavior they recognized as consistent with burglary patterns. They conducted a traffic stop to interview Foote about the investigation.
“It looks like this guy was intending to commit more burglaries, so our detectives stopped him before he could,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “Since this guy was driving through parking lots looking for more cars to burglarize, this case is an important reminder that you should always take steps to protect yourself from theft.”
During questioning, Foote denied involvement in vehicle break-ins or using stolen credit cards. He acknowledged being at Varn Park and Walmart but claimed the purchases were made with his own card. When detectives searched his vehicle with his consent, they found two additional credit cards that belonged to neither him nor the victim.
Foote was arrested and charged with burglary, traveling across county lines with intent to commit burglary, grand theft, fraudulent use of a credit card, and unlawful possession of personal identification information. He is being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on $8,000 bond.
Sheriff Staly emphasized the importance of vehicle security, advising residents to lock their cars, keep valuables hidden, and set up credit card notifications to catch suspicious activity quickly.
The post Debary Man Arrested After Beach Parking Lot Burglary Leads to Walmart Fraud Charges first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
