𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: The road is back open.

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓 SJSO is on scene, assisting St. Augustine Police Department, respond to a crash involving a vehicle and pedestrian on N Ponce De Leon Blvd and W San Carlos Ave. All northbound lanes of Ponce De Leon Blvd are shutdown at Matanzas Ave.

𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓 The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged Hubert Estelle (32) with Armed Robbery with a Firearm, Grand Theft, Aggravated Assault with Intent to Commit a Felony (x5), and Wearing a Mask or Hood While Committing a Felony. On Friday, October 16, just after 3 p.m., Estelle entered the Regions Bank on St. Johns Common Parkway Avenue armed with AR-15 style rifle, and wearing a face mask, gloves, and dark-colored clothing. Estelle demanded money and threatened violence, so, in fear, the employees provided the suspect with cash before he left the business. Employees described the suspect vehicle as a white Audi sedan with white tape covering the license plate. Traffic cameras and license plate reader technology captured the vehicle matching the description in the area of St. Johns Parkway, just minutes after the robbery. Real Time Intelligence Center personnel were able to locate the same vehicle before the robbery occurred without the license plate cover. Based on the information, further Investigative efforts led deputies to the Ascend Luxury Apartments on Mossy Pine Lane, where deputies located the suspect vehicle by 3:23 p.m. At this time, SJSO deputies locked down the apartment complex to search for the suspect and safely evacuate residents within the building of interest. The SJSO SWAT team located Estelle inside his apartment and took him into custody. During a search of the residence, an AR-15 style rifle and the clothing worn during the robbery were located. “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩-𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘷𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 15 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘓𝘗𝘙 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴,” 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘧 𝘙𝘰𝘣 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. The SJSO Air and Drone units, Crisis Negotiation Team, Real Time Intelligence Center, Task Force, and Major Crimes Unit assisted during the incident. The SJSO Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate.

𝟴:𝟬𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: The suspect has been located and was taken into custody. There is no danger to the public. All residents displaced can return back to the apartment complex.

𝟱:𝟰𝟬 𝗽.𝗺. 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲: Just after 3 p.m. this afternoon, SJSO responded to a bank robbery at the Regions Bank on CR210. The suspect fled before deputies arrived. Through investigative efforts, deputies located the suspect vehicle at an apartment complex on Peyton Parkway. The search for the suspect is ongoing.

𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 SJSO is searching for a wanted suspect in an apartment complex off of Peyton Parkway and SR 9B. This is an active investigation, expect a heavy law enforcement presence in the area.

☕️ Coffee with a Cop ☕️ The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, St. Augustine Police Department, and St. Johns County School District spent the morning sharing coffee and meaningful conversations with Ketterlinus Elementary students and staff. What a great event! #TeamSJSO

What a view over St. Johns County this morning! 🚀

Sheriff Hardwick joined The Joe Mullins Radio Show to discuss recidivism, rapid growth challenges, staffing, the critical partnership between the Sheriff’s Office and county leadership, the proposed property tax changes on public safety budgets, and license plate reader technology. Listen and watch here: youtu.be/zlIQHPF-bYQ?si=50IA…

Sheriff Hardwick and victim advocate Ashley Mitchell joined law enforcement agencies across Florida in signing a custom 1971 Volkswagen Beetle dedicated to honoring first responders. The vehicle was designed by Spencer Crutchley, in memory of his brother-in-law, a Lee County Sheriff's Office deputy. Spencer is traveling across the state to pay tribute to those who protect and serve our communities. We are grateful he made a stop in St. Johns County and #TeamSJSO is proud to be a part of the mission.

The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center has renewed its certification with the Missing Kids Readiness Program (MKRP), a nationwide initiative led by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (@NCMEC). This program recognizes agencies that demonstrate excellence in training, preparedness, and best practices for responding to incidents involving missing, abducted, or exploited children. The SJSO Communications Center is one of the only 12 emergency communications centers in Florida to hold this distinction. SJSO Public Safety Telecommunicators continue to show their dedication to protecting the children and families of our community. Through ongoing training and strengthened policies, we remain committed to serving our community at the highest level. We are grateful for our continued partnership with NCMEC and excited to contribute to this national effort to keep children safe. facebook.com/share/p/1J5YaDk…

Fall classes are now full.

🚗 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗘𝗦 🚗 SJSO is hosting Teen Driver Challenge, a driving course sponsored by the Florida Sheriffs Association, for high school students. The one day course helps teen drivers understand the rules of the road, enhances their driving skills, and improves safety and confidence on the road with help from deputies. 𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦: November 23 November 24 December 21 December 22 𝗥𝗘𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦: ❗️High school students (15-19 years old) ❗️Live in St. Johns County ❗️Have a permit OR a license PRIOR to registration ❗️Participants will need to bring their own vehicle to participate Space is limited. If you’re interested in registering, visit sjso.org/teen-driver-challen…

SJSO Lieutenant West Kennedy successfully completed the Florida Executive Development Seminar [FEDS] in September. The FEDS is a training program established by the @FBI for law enforcement personnel and focuses on leadership, management, ethics, and other critical areas of professional development. Congratulations, Lt. Kennedy, and thank you for your dedication to strengthening our agency. Sheriff Hardwick joined Lt. Kennedy and law enforcement executives statewide as a panelist, contributing to a discussion about leadership in law enforcement, partnerships, the challenges and successes facing agencies today.

𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: 𝐒𝐓. 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊! 🗓️ February 25, 2027 📍 The St. Augustine Amphitheatre We can't wait to be back in the ring at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre in 2027. Mark your calendars now, see you there!

𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: S Roscoe Blvd is back open.

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓: SJSO is on scene of a crash near the 300 block of south Roscoe Blvd. All lanes are shutdown at this time. We will provide an update once the road has reopened.

Big smiles and curious minds! SJSO Task Force deputies visited a local school to connect with young kids, answer questions, and give them the chance to explore the inside of a patrol vehicle. Building trust starts early, and we're lucky to have moments like these to show our community - of all ages - how we serve and protect. #TeamSJSO

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓 Bike MS: Cycle to the Shore 2026, a two-day cycling event, is traveling through St. Johns and Flagler counties this weekend. Beginning 7:30a.m. Saturday, October 3, cyclists will ride from TPC Sawgrass or Marineland to Daytona Beach. On Sunday, October 4, the cyclists will ride from Daytona Beach, and finish where they started, at TPC Sawgrass or Marineland. Please expect traffic delays on A1A this weekend. SJSO will be assisting cyclists to ensure a safe journey for all participants and motorists. For more information: events.nationalmssociety.org…