A former Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child Protective Investigator (CPI), 31-year-old Spenser Trinkle, turned himself into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility after a warrant was signed for his arrest.
Trinkle was found to have fraudulently used Zelle to transfer money from someone’s bank account to his own, totaling $3,857 stolen from his elderly victim.
According to deputies, on May 12, 2022, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) responded to a call about fraud at the Bank of America in Palm Coast. When deputies met with the victim, she said that she went to the bank after seeing numerous transactions to her checking and savings account of Zelle transactions being made to Trinkle.
The victim told deputies she’s known Trinkle for years and that they’re friends and Trinkle helps her around her home with various tasks.
While providing her statement, Trinkle was continuously calling the victim and when she finally answered the phone, she told him she was speaking with law enforcement. Trinkle told her that he just saw funds in his account and that he’d repay her.
Per the deputy’s request, Trinkle came to the bank and spoke with law enforcement. Trinkle said that he works for DCF and that he met the victim through a service call he was working from his previous employer and the two stayed in contact.
When deputies questioned Trinkle, he stated he was unsure how the funds were transferred to his account and believed someone hacked his account to send money from the victim’s account to his.
Deputies explained to Trinkle that it didn’t make sense and he wasn’t able to explain it any further. Trinkle then told detectives that he hardly had any money in his bank account and didn’t know how thousands of dollars were transferred to him.
During the investigation, Trinkle continued to say he didn’t know how this happened, that he’d pay the victim back, and denied making the transactions. Once bank statements were reviewed, detectives confirmed there were a total of nine Zelle transactions from the victim’s account to Trinkle’s from April 26 through May 10, totaling $3,857.78.
Detectives asked Trinkle where the money had gone since he claimed he has no money left in his account. Trinkle admitted to using the money to pay for medical bills for his child, claiming he’ll use GoFundMe donations for his child’s medical expenses to pay back the victim.
At that moment, the victim chose not to pursue charges against Trinkle if he was going to repay her.
Several days later, the victim changed her mind and said she wanted to press charges against Trinkle. Detectives conducted an interview with Trinkle on May 13 at his place of employment, where DCF reports stated Trinkle fully admitted his involvement in the case.
“And another dirtbag award goes to this guy, whose job is to help protect children while he’s stealing from the elderly,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “I’m glad he is now a former employee of DCF. Now let’s hope this guy doesn’t get the opportunity to steal from others again and he learns a lesson with his new criminal record!”
On June 7, 2022, an arrest warrant was signed for charges of Grand Theft and Fraudulent Use of Personal Identification Information of a Person Younger than 18 or Older than 60.
Trinkle ultimately turned himself in on June 12 at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility. He was released on a $3,000 bond.
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