Flagler deputies allege woman stole bicycle while canvassing for congressional candidate

Yahoo

10-03-2025

An Orlando woman was arrested Friday on burglary and theft charges in Palm Coast, the Flagler County Sheriff's Office alleges, while distributing campaign flyers for a candidate running for the April 1 special congressional election.
Arlecia Darnae Brown, 35, of Orlando, told Flagler investigators she was "currently employed by the Josh Weil campaign and paid to solicit material throughout Palm Coast," according to an arrest report.
Weil, a Democrat, is seeking the open seat in Florida's 6th District that was left vacant when Congressman Michael Waltz resigned to become national security adviser. The district sprawls across Flagler and Putnam counties, also taking in parts of Volusia, St. Johns, Lake and Marion counties.
The Weil campaign has not yet responded to attempts seeking to confirm that Brown was a paid staffer. This story will be updated if a response is provided.
One of Weil's opponents, Republican state Sen. Randy Fine, pounced on Monday, noting Brown's criminal history, which includes three stints in the Florida Department of Corrections, including robbery and aggravated assault.
'Dangerous felons are being paid to stalk homes,' Fine said in an interview Monday afternoon. 'Voters need to know this is dangerous.'
Fine questioned whether the Weil campaign did background checks on its canvassers.
'There's only two outcomes here. One is they don't do background checks on the people they hire, or they do and they don't care," he said. "There is not a good explanation. This is a massive political scandal."
Sheriff's deputies first took a stolen bicycle report on Thursday. Victims said someone had taken a black Mongoose bicycle with brown wheels from a garage, according to the arrest report.
The following day, Flagler County sheriff's deputies responded to a "suspicious person" call on London Drive and found a bicycle that matched the description of the missing Mongoose, the report states The "male" matching the original suspect's description was spotted down the block soliciting for a political candidate.
The sheriff's report notes that while Brown was born a female, she "currently has facial hair and other features that were obviously associated with being a male."
Brown is facing seven counts, including burglary while traveling outside county of residence, burglary of an occupied dwelling, felony petit theft and possession of burglary tools. She was also charged with two counts of unauthorized use/possession of a driver's license and home solicitation without a permit.
She was being held in the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on $67,500 bond, and is scheduled for an arraignment on April 8.
'This is a perfect example of a crime of opportunity," Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in the news release. "I encourage all residents to stay vigilant, lock their doors, and report suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately.'
Staly commended the detective work and "concerned citizens" who saw something and said something.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Flagler sheriff: Campaigner stole bicycle while canvassing Palm Coast