Welfare Check Leads To Arrest For Car Thief

Bunnell, FL – A Flagler County man is in jail after the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) responded to a welfare check and found out he stole a car earlier that day. The FCSO says deputies were notified about the stolen car after the driver called to report the theft around 11:30 Monday morning (June 28). The victim told deputies that they left their keys in the ignition of their vehicle while they ran into a 7-11 convenience store on Moody Boulevard. When they came back, the car was gone. Around that same time, deputies were also dispatched to an apartment complex behind the store after receiving reports of a suspicious person who was running around erratically with a description matching the suspect who stole the vehicle. According to a report from deputies, the property manager who called police was able to identify the suspicious person as 24-year-old William Kitt, who appeared to be under the influence of drugs, according to the manager’s narrative. The manager added that Kitt looked at them, said something along the lines of "you have a gun" before running away. After confirming Kitt’s involvement in the 7-11 car theft, deputies received a call from the victim of the theft. The victim told FCSO that their boss had observed their vehicle sitting unoccupied at Old Kings Road North and Town Center Boulevard. Deputies then called in the Flagler Fire Flight helicopter and an FCSO K-9 unit to help in the search for Kitt. Shortly after the search started, another call was made to FCSO, this time about a father saying his son needed to be "Baker Acted." The father told deputies that his son had come running into the home with a gain knob from a car stereo and stated that people were after him. His son then began talking to the television, which is when the father phoned deputies about a welfare check. When deputies responded to the home for a welfare check, they ran into Kitt. When asked if he wanted to harm himself or others, Kitt replied no, then quietly said "I bet you’re here because of the gray truck." Kitt then proceeded to tell deputies that he was in a "predicament" and needed to take the truck. Law enforcement was able to match the knob in Kitt’s hand with the vehicle that was stolen earlier that day. Kitt was then arrested and taken to the Flagler County Jail. Per a report from FCSO, medical personnel at the jail requested that Kitt be transported to AdventHealth Palm Coast where he could be medically cleared. After doing so, Kitt was booked into the jail, charged with grand theft auto. A press release from FCSO states that Kitt was booked on a $2,500 bond, but records from the Flagler County Jail say Kitt’s bond has been placed at $5,000.