A 22-year-old Palm Coast man has been arrested after detectives determined he drove up to a teenage girl, exposed himself, and masturbated in front of her.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report on December 26, 2025, in the R-Section of Palm Coast. The victim told deputies she was walking along Rickenbacker Drive when a black Kia hatchback pulled alongside her. The driver exposed his genitals and began to masturbate. The victim said the vehicle drove off but then returned and slowed beside her a second time. During the second encounter, the driver made a sexually explicit comment toward her about his prior actions and asked if she liked it. The victim described the driver as a white male with a reddish-brown beard.
After speaking with the victim and her parents, deputies immediately canvassed the area. With assistance from the Real Time Crime Center and Criminal Intelligence Unit, deputies identified the suspect vehicle and established a suspect. Investigation revealed that Stephen Caputo of Palm Coast matched the description provided by the victim. Although Caputo was not the registered owner of the vehicle, detectives discovered he had been involved in a crash in the same vehicle weeks earlier.
The Major Case Unit took over the investigation. On January 8, detectives located Caputo at his workplace in Ormond Beach, where he agreed to be interviewed. During questioning, Caputo told detectives he was off work on the day of the incident and had been visiting people in Palm Coast before traveling on Rickenbacker Drive to “kill time before going home.”
Caputo initially told detectives he may have been “fixing himself” but did not know anyone could see him. However, he later admitted that he decided to masturbate in his vehicle while driving. Throughout the interview, Caputo provided details that aligned with the victim’s account of the incident. He told detectives he did not know the age of the girl and claimed the incident was a one-time occurrence that he had never done before.
On January 9, detectives obtained a warrant for Caputo’s arrest on the charge of lewd or lascivious exhibition by an offender 18 years of age or older in the presence of a victim who is less than 16 years of age. The same day, the Fugitive Unit located and arrested Caputo at his residence on Riddle Drive in Palm Coast.
Sheriff Rick Staly commented on the arrest. “What an incredibly perverted thing for somebody to do,” Staly said. “I commend the victim who reported it; our Community Policing Division deputies who quickly began the investigation; and our Major Case Unit detectives, Real Time Crime Center analysts, and Criminal Intelligence Unit as they all played an important role in getting this pervert off the street and into the Green Roof Inn.”
Caputo was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was later released on a $7,500 bond.
The post Palm Coast Man Arrested for Exposing Himself to Teenage Girl first appeared on Flagler County Buzz.
