FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) have arrested a Palm Coast man following a disturbing incident in which he allegedly exposed himself and engaged in lewd conduct in front of a teenage girl walking in her neighborhood.
The case began on December 26, 2025, when deputies were dispatched to the R‑Section of Palm Coast after receiving a report from the victim and her parents. The girl told deputies she was walking along Rickenbacker Drive when a black Kia hatchback pulled alongside her. The driver exposed himself before driving away, only to return moments later. During the second encounter, the suspect slowed down beside her and made a sexually explicit remark referencing his earlier actions.
The victim described the suspect as a white male with a reddish‑brown beard. Deputies immediately canvassed the area, and with assistance from FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center and Criminal Intelligence Unit, investigators quickly identified the suspect vehicle. Their investigation pointed to Stephen Caputo, 22, of Palm Coast, who matched the description. Though Caputo was not the registered owner of the Kia, records revealed he had been involved in a crash in the same vehicle weeks earlier, linking him to the car.
On January 8, 2026, detectives located Caputo at his workplace in Ormond Beach. He agreed to be interviewed. During questioning, Caputo admitted he had been in Palm Coast on the day of the incident, initially claiming he may have been “fixing himself” without realizing anyone could see. However, he later confessed that he had chosen to masturbate in his vehicle while driving. Detectives noted that his account aligned with the victim’s description of events. Caputo further stated he did not know the girl’s age and insisted the incident was a “one‑time thing.”
The following day, January 9, detectives obtained a warrant for Caputo’s arrest on a charge of lewd or lascivious exhibition by an offender 18 years of age or older in the presence of a victim under 16. The FCSO Fugitive Unit arrested him at his residence on Riddle Drive in Palm Coast.
Sheriff Rick Staly issued a strong statement condemning the incident:
“What an incredibly perverted thing for somebody to do. I commend the victim who reported it; our Community Policing Division deputies who quickly began the investigation; and our Major Case Unit detectives, Real Time Crime Center analysts, and Criminal Intelligence Unit as they all played an important role in getting this pervert off the street and into the Green Roof Inn.”
Caputo was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later released on a $7,500 bond.