FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Augustine man wanted in Flagler County for allegedly stealing a gold necklace during a Facebook Marketplace sale was arrested after Jacksonville authorities took him into custody, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for William James Walker, 44, on charges of dealing in stolen property, grand theft and unlawful use of a two-way communications device. Investigators said Walker took the 22-inch, 10‑karat gold chain during a July 1 meeting at a Palm Coast barbershop and later tried to extort the seller for its return.
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According to the sheriff’s office and an arrest affidavit, the seller had posted the necklace on Facebook Marketplace and negotiated a $7,000 sale with a buyer who identified himself as “Billy J. Walker.” The affidavit said Walker arrived in an Uber with an unidentified woman and told the seller the woman needed to get cash from an ATM. While the woman was reportedly away, Walker walked to a window, knocked, waved and then left the shop wearing the necklace. He and the woman then drove away.
The seller later found an envelope labeled “$1,200” that contained only toilet paper and a hotel key. The affidavit says Walker texted the seller on July 7 demanding $1,200 for the chain’s return and sent photos showing himself wearing the necklace and photos he claimed showed cash. The two arranged another meeting, but communications broke off and detectives obtained the warrant.
The Flagler County Fugitive Apprehension Unit coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office; Walker was already in custody in Jacksonville on unrelated charges when he was arrested and the necklace was recovered, the sheriff’s office said. He remains in Duval County and is expected to face the Flagler County charges after those proceedings.
Sheriff Rick Staly said the case highlights risks of online in-person exchanges and urged residents to use designated safe-exchange locations monitored by camera.
The sheriff’s office recommends its Operations Center at 61 Sheriff E.W. Johnston Drive in Bunnell and the Palm Coast District 2 office at 14 Palm Harbor Village Way.
Walker’s criminal history, the affidavit says, includes arrests for burglary, grand theft, fleeing and eluding, narcotics possession, aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and domestic battery by strangulation.