A St. Augustine man was arrested this week for allegedly stealing a necklace during a Facebook Marketplace exchange in Palm Coast. 44-year-old William Walker was accused of taking the necklace and demanding the victim pay him to get it back.
The sale reportedly occurred on July 1 at a Palm Coast barber shop where the seller worked. Walker even asked the man to give him a haircut and beard trim during the transaction. He arrived in a blue Honda with a woman he identified as his wife, according to an incident report.
During the meeting, Walker reportedly told the seller his wife was going to get the rest of the money from an ATM. The negotiated price was $7,000, and Walker was said to have sent a photo of $5,000 in $20 bills prior to the meetup.
While the woman was away from the shop, Walker allegedly walked to the door wearing the necklace, knocked on the window, waved to the seller, and ran out to the Honda. The woman may have potentially moved the car after stepping outside, according to details from the report. She was said to have already been in the car by the time Walker got back to it. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says this car was an Uber, and that the driver was neither Walker nor the woman.
After the car departed, an envelope was discovered with ‘$1,200’ written on it containing toilet paper and the key to a St. Augustine hotel room. Walker is said to have contacted the seller on July 7 demanding that he pay $1,200 to have the necklace returned to him. He reportedly demanded partial payment before their agreed meeting the following day.
In the hours that followed, communication between Walker and the seller ceased. The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Apprehension Unit obtained an arrest warrant, and began coordinating with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Investigators learned Walker rented a room at a St. Augustine Economy Inn from July 1 to 3, and that ‘multiple people in two separate cars’ arrived to conduct business with him.
As it turned out, by the time investigators zeroed in on Walker to arrest him he was already in custody for unrelated charges. He has now been additionally charged with dealing in stolen property, grand theft, and unlawful usage of a two-way communication device.
“The victim thought he had made a legitimate business deal only to find out the [suspect] had always planned to steal the jewelry and then attempt to extort the victim for its return,” said Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly. “This is a good reminder the Sheriff’s Office has designated safe exchange meeting spots under the watchful eye of a camera at our Palm Coast District 2 office and the Sheriff’s Operations Center.”
Walker is to complete his criminal proceedings in Duval County before being brought to Flagler County on his charges relating to the Marketplace incident. Prior criminal charges against Walker include burglary, grand theft, fleeing/eluding, aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, domestic battery by strangulation, aggravated battery of a pregnant person, drug possession, false imprisonment, forgery, and driving with a suspended license.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office allows the public to conduct Facebook Marketplace transactions at their two physical locations: 61 Sheriff EW Johnston Dr in Bunnell or 14 Palm Harbor Village Way in Palm Coast.
