BUNNEL, Fla. (WFLA) — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man with 70 prior felony charges on July 8, accusing him of going on a multi-state crime spree.
According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, deputies pulled over Stephen Johnson, 36, at around 7 a.m. for impeding the flow of traffic on I-95. The deputy also noticed that the tag did not match the car it was attached to. Johnson reportedly slowed down to 45 mph in the left lane to prevent police from getting behind him.
Bodycam video of the arrest showed Johnson handing the deputy a rental agreement for the 2022 silver Kia he was driving. However, deputies found that the tag on the car belonged to a 2007 Saturn Outlook reported stolen from Daufuskie Island, South Carolina. The stolen tag was stuck to a Florida tag with double-sided tape.
Johnson said he did not know where the South Carolina tag came from or how it ended up taped to the Florida tag. He later told deputies that he “found it”. While searching the car, deputies found a roll of double-sided tape in the center console and a purse belonging to a woman from Clay County, Florida, who told police her car was broken into earlier that day.
Deputies found two laptops and four cell phones in addition to the purse. Investigators discovered that one of the laptops belonged to a healthcare company and was found alongside a notebook containing login credentials for medical databases.
According to the news release, Johnson’s criminal record includes 70 felony charges and 31 felony convictions, along with 15 misdemeanor charges. He was arrested by Flagler County deputies and charged with possession of identification of person without authorization, petit theft, attached tag not assigned and violation of probation for a burglary in Pompano Beach, Fla.
“This dirtbag made the mistake of driving through Flagler County after committing crimes in South
Carolina and Clay County, Florida,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Even after 70 felony charges for various crimes and convicted 31 times since 2004 he hasn’t learned his lesson. Time for him to go away to
prison so he can no longer prey on people. I’m proud of the deputy who was patrolling our roadways
that led to putting this felon back behind bars where he belongs.”