BUNNELL, FL (FCSO) – On Thursday, May 4, 2023, FCSO deputies responded to the area of Mahogany Boulevard in the Mondex after several 911 callers reported there was a man ‘swinging around’ a rifle and stumbling along the road.
Deputy First Class Prevatt quickly located the armed subject near Mahogany Boulevard and Hickory Avenue who initially did not comply with commands.
FCSO’s Real Time Crime Center technology enables the RTCC to stream a deputy’s body camera live to assist Deputies as a “virtual backup.” DFC Prevatt had the subject at gunpoint and utilized the technology to request the RTCC monitor her body camera so she did not have to remove a hand from her rifle and could concentrate on engaging the subject. The RTCC was able to monitor DFC Prevatt and the situation remotely while relaying real-time information to responding units including the subject firing a shot into the air while DFC Prevatt was engaged with him.
The subject then fled into a wooded area. Additional units arrived on scene and re-engaged the subject in a wooded area who was initially uncooperative. Deputies were able to de-escalate the subject who was ultimately arrested without further incident. A .22 caliber rifle was located in the wooded area where the subject was taken into custody. A shell casing was found jammed in the rifle from the shot he had fired.
“DFC Prevatt showcased the extensive training our Deputies go through to diffuse a hostile situation while using the physical and virtual equipment available to them to ensure the safety of themselves, other Deputies, and the public,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “I also commend the citizens that called in ‘seeing something, saying something’ of the subject’s reckless behavior. The actions of our deputies and the callers likely prevented a more serious incident from occurring.”
Almeida was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and charged with Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Possession of Ammo as a Convicted Felon, Discharging a Firearm in Public, Openly Carrying a Firearm, and Resisting Arrest without Violence. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be pending.
Almeida was previously arrested and convicted of Lewd Assault/Sexual Battery of a Victim Under 16 and Burglary of an Occupied Conveyance in 1997.
