FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Two women were arrested after a pursuit led to the discovery of thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen merchandise, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said.
On Friday evening, a deputy on patrol located a vehicle that had stolen tag attached to it in a handicap space in a Walmart parking lot. Deputies said they attempted to stop the vehicle as it left the parking lot, but the driver, identified as 24-year-old Shekeria Wilkins, and the passenger, 26-year-old Amber Phillips, fled from law enforcement onto Cypress Point Parkway.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle continued to travel at accelerated speeds, made a right turn onto Belle Terre Parkway and turned onto Palm Coast Parkway toward Interstate 95 South. The Sheriff’s Office said stop sticks were then deployed, deflating both tires on the driver’s side of the vehicle, but the driver tried to continue driving south on I-95. The vehicle eventually came to a stop and the two women inside it were taken into custody.
Deputies said a search of the vehicle yielded thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen electronics. Deputies noted that some of the merchandise had been taken from the Walmart in Palm Coast.
When questioned by deputies, according to the Sheriff’s Office, Wilkins and Phillips said that they were from West Palm Beach and had been “shopping” at various stores all day. Wilkins stated that she obtained the tag on her vehicle from a friend, who she did not identify, deputies said.
“This is another example of how you never know what a routine patrol by an observant deputy can lead to,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I am thankful that no one was injured and that we were able to recover the stolen merchandise."
Wilkins and Phillips were both arrested.
Wilkins was booked into the Flagler County jail on petit theft charges and has since been released on $1,000 bond, according to online jail records.
Phillips was booked into the jail on one count of petit theft and was later released on $500 bond, jail records show.