- January 15, 2025
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A Georgia fugitive arrested in Flagler County during a traffic stop had a firearm that was later found to have been illegally converted into a fully automatic machine gun.
Deputies had stopped a vehicle traveling on Belle Terre Boulevard Nov. 21 due to a vehicle infraction. The driver, 23-year-old Benjamin Bowie, was found to have a warrant in Georgia for Grand Theft Auto.
Flagler County deputies arrested Bowie 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 on a firearm that deputies believe had been altered.
On Dec. 17, the FDLE laboratory concluded that 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.
Bowie had also been recently arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for Resisting Arrest with Violence and Possession of Cannabis, and had been released on bond. He has a criminal history of Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Cruelty to Animals in Georgia.
