Driver arrested after crashing stolen car, deputies say

Photo of Zacchaeus Nelson provided by Flagler County Sheriff's Office

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A Palatka man is accused of stealing a car then crashing it in Flagler County Monday, authorities said.

Zacchaeus Nelson, 22, is charged with grand theft auto, resisting arrest without violence and possession of cannabis under 20 grams, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

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Just before 1 p.m., the Putnam County Sheriff's Office alerted the FCSO that a stolen car was heading into Flagler County.

Deputies said they spotted the white four-door Kia with three people inside at the intersection of U.S. 1 and West State Road 100 but the driver refused to stop. Deputies did not pursue the car.

The vehicle then headed north on U.S. 1, deputies said, but crashed after the driver lost control while turning right onto Royal Palms Parkway.

Two of the three people in the car were questioned but not charged, the Sheriff's Office said.

The driver fled into the woods nearby, deputies said.

The Sheriff's Office said deputies, K-9s and the Flagler County FireFlight helicopter searched for the driver, who was later found walking out from behind a home on Reidsville Drive in Palm Coast.

During the search, Rymfire Elementary School was placed on "code orange status," which meant students and staff had to remain inside their classrooms. 

Nelson was booked into the Flagler County Jail on a $3,500 bond, jail records show.