Flagler County, Fla. – A fugitive from Georgia was arrested in Palm Coast after he was found asleep in a truck with enough fentanyl that could “potentially kill the entire populations of Flagler and Putnam counties,” according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said they responded to an alarm at the Mobil gas station at 6020 East State Road 100 in Palm Coast around 4:11 a.m. on Sept. 18.
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The gas station was closed at the time, according to deputies, and they located a black Ford Ranger parked behind the building.
Deputies said that James Wilson Duke, from of Kennesaw, Georgia was asleep in the truck and when they woke him up, he gave the deputies several different names when asked to identify himself.
After deputies on the scene learned Duke’s correct name, they discovered he had a non-extraditable arrest warrant from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee for failure to appear in court.
Duke was arrested for giving a false name to law enforcement, loitering or prowling and resisting an officer, according to a release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
While impounding Duke’s truck, deputies said they found a loaded syringe under the passenger seat. They then discovered multiple plastic bags of fentanyl inside of a fanny pack, totaling 338 grams, the statement said.
Deputies said they also seized an electronic weighing scale and “a tool bag filled with items commonly used by burglars”, including screwdrivers, hammers and wire cutters.
FCSO added additional charges of trafficking in fentanyl and possession with intent of burglary tools as well as possession of drug paraphernalia, according to their statement.
“This is the second time in less than a week we’ve found enough fentanyl on a fugitive to potentially kill over 100,000 people,” said Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. “This dirtbag had enough on him to potentially kill 169,000 people. Street grade fentanyl is flooding our country from Mexico and Flagler County is not immune from this poison. Poison peddlers need to get this message: Don’t sleep in Flagler County or you’ll be residents of the Green Roof Inn.”
Deputies said that Duke has no prior arrests in Flagler County.
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