Palm Coast man accused of sex trafficking minors arrested for possession of fentanyl and cocaine, sheriff’s office says

FLAGLER COUNTY, Florida. – A man arrested by Flagler County police Thursday is accused of having sex with several underage victims in exchange for drugs, money, clothing and food, according to the sheriff’s office.

David Chenowith, 32, is charged with sexual assault and lascivious battery on a victim between the ages of 12 and 16, human trafficking of minors, illicit sexual conduct with a minor, trafficking in 4 to 14 grams of fentanyl, sale of narcotics and possession of hashish, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Chenowith was arrested on a warrant after an investigation began on June 21. The reason was a citizen who contacted the sheriff’s office after receiving disturbing messages from a minor victim, the release said. The sheriff’s major cases division reportedly identified several juveniles between the ages of 14 and 16 as victims of human trafficking perpetrated by Chenowith. A warrant was also obtained for Chenowith’s cellphone, the sheriff’s office said.

Officers arrested Chenowith during a traffic stop, during which he was also found to be in possession of “multiple drugs with the intent to resell,” the release said. Inside the vehicle in which Chenowith was stopped, six small baggies containing a white powder and/or rock-like substance were found, along with four THC cartridges, four baggies containing cannabis and four baggies containing THC gummy bears, according to the sheriff’s office. Of the baggies containing the white substance, three tested positive for fentanyl, while the other three tested positive for cocaine, officers said.

According to booking records, Chenowith is currently being held in the county jail on $117,500 bail.

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