On July 14, 2026, James Shepard, 52, was stopped by a deputy from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office as he arrived to submit a urine sample, due to driving with a suspended license. Shepard was serving felony probation for multiple burglaries and thefts, violations that led to his arrest for violating probation.

During the arrest, Shepard discarded a homemade "Whizzinator" device in the back of the patrol car, a device intended to beat court-ordered drug tests. Shepard claimed the device was not his, but video evidence contradicted this claim. He now faces charges including driving without a valid license, violating probation, defrauding a drug test, and tampering with evidence.

Sheriff Rick Staly criticized Shepard's actions, stating, "This pee-brain dirtbag had already been given the deal of a lifetime, walking around on community control when he should have been sitting in a prison cell for almost a decade." Shepard had terrorized local home construction businesses and stolen enough appliances to open a store but was only sentenced to community control despite being eligible for a minimum nine-year prison term based on his sentencing scoresheet.

The Flagler County Sheriff's Office described driving on a suspended license as Shepard's first crime, with the second being the use of the device strapped to his groin. Shepard was taken to jail in the back seat of the patrol car following his arrest.

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