3 students arrested for Palm Coast armed burglary, Flagler deputies say

Deputies: Students skipped school, stole items from home

PALM COAST, Fla. – Three Matanzas High School students who are accused of skipping school to steal items from a home in Palm Coast have been arrested, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office said it received a call at 11:25 a.m. Wednesday about a suspicious incident at a home on Fitzgerald Lane in Palm Coast.

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The caller told deputies he heard glass breaking and saw three suspicious people in the area.

When deputies arrived, they saw three teenagers running from the area. Deputies said a 15-year-old girl in the group was arrested without incident a short distance later. The other two teens were able to flee into nearby woods.

Deputies set up a perimeter and began searching for the 15-year-old and 17-year-old boys with the help of Flagler County Firefight.

The school resource deputy at Matanzas High School provided the names of three school students who were reported to have jumped the school fence and fled from school officials at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Sheriff's Office.

A K-9 deputy and his partner, Repo, tracked the two teens to a wooded area near Flemingwood Lane and Flat Rock Lane. Deputies said the two teen boys were arrested without incident.

Detectives determined that the three teens were the same ones who skipped school and were involved in a burglary at a home on Fircrest Lane in Palm Coast, deputies said.

After entering the home and taking several items -- including two bags that contained a .22 caliber starting revolving, numerous clothing items, a computer and shoes -- the three teens went to a home on Fitzgerald Lane and attempted to break into that home by throwing a stool through a window, according to the Sheriff's Office.

That's when the teens were spotted by a neighbor and were reported to the Sheriff's Office.

Deputies were able to recover the stolen items that were taken from the home on Fircrest Lane, which were returned to victims.

"This was an excellent team effort by Sheriff's Office personnel to apprehend these juveniles who had skipped school to break into nearby homes," Flagler County Sheriff James L. Manfre said. "It is also a great example of the community and the Sheriff's Office working together to combat crime in our community."

The teens were charged with two counts of felony armed burglar and other related misdemeanors, deputies said. They were processed at the Flagler County Sheriff's Office Detention Services Division.

Deputies said additional charges are expected.