On November 21, 2021, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling on Belle Terre due to a vehicle infraction. The driver, identified as Benjamin Jacob Bowie (DOB: 1/28/1998), was arrested for Carrying a Concealed Firearm, Resisting Officer without Violence, and Possession of Cannabis, with additional charges pending lab results from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on a firearm that deputies believe had been altered into a fully-automatic machine gun.
On December 17, 2021, the FDLE Laboratory concluded the Glock 17 handgun seized during the traffic stop had been converted into a machine gun, against state and federal law.
“Traffic stops are never ‘routine’ and this case proves it,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “Bowie was a wanted fugitive from Georgia armed with a gun he had converted to a machine gun. Our deputies did a phenomenal job handling this situation that could have turned deadly very quickly. He’s now charged with this felony and we are working with federal agencies to see if they will adopt this case and put him in federal prison for a long time. In the meantime, he has a room at the Green Roof Inn to ring in the New Year!”
Bowie was additionally arrested for Possession of Short Barreled Firearm. He is currently being held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility on no bond.
Melissa Morreale, Public Affairs Officer
Organizational Services Division
Flagler County Sheriff’s Office
