Deputies Find Clown Masks, Counterfeit Cash & Police Gear During Traffic Stop

Bunnell, FL - A suspect is in custody after authorities find him with a stolen trailer, counterfeit cash, masks, and police gear. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office first received an alert from a license plate reader (LPR) about the trailer—that was stolen out of the Daytona Beach Shores area—as it was being towed by a black Chevrolet SUV Monday morning (January 11th). As soon as the alert went out, FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center was activated and operators found the vehicle traveling west on State Road 100.  Members of the Bunnell Police Department and the FCSO, including Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly, soon tracked down the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on Moody Boulevard—not even a mile away from the FCSO’s headquarters. After pulling him over, officers issued commands for the driver, 35-year-old Ettienne Joseph Mixon Jr., to step out of the vehicle. He complied and was taken into custody. During a search of his person and the vehicle, deputies found a loaded handgun in Mixon’s pocket. They later determined that Mixon does not have a concealed weapons permit for Florida or Mississippi, his home state. Inside the SUV, deputies found a backpack containing a large amount of counterfeit currency in denominations of $100, $50, $20, $5, and $1 bills. Brass knuckles and two clown masks were also confiscated from the vehicle. Deputies also found what appeared to be law enforcement equipment including firearm ammunition, badges, and a helmet. In addition to those items, deputies Mississippi State Police Department ID card and a Pearl River Sheriff’s Office key card in the vehicle. Law enforcement later contacted the Mississippi State Police, who told investigators that Mixon was terminated as an officer. They asked that the FCSO secures Mixon’s equipment for safekeeping. Mixon has since been charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, and possession of forged bills. He remains in Flagler County Jail on a $12,500 bond.