Man wanted for allegedly stealing engagement ring from girlfriend to propose to another woman

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A man with a tattoo that reads “Only God can judge me” on his left arm is wanted for stealing an engagement ring and wedding band from his girlfriend to propose to another woman, Volusia County deputies said.

Deputies said Joseph Davis, 48, used fake names, “Joe Brown” and “Marcus Brown,” on the dating app OKCupid when he met both women in 2015 and 2016.

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Investigators said his girlfriend in Orange City discovered her boyfriend was actually engaged to another woman in Orlando. She told deputies that when she looked up the other woman on Facebook, she realized she was wearing a wedding band and engagement ring that was identical to her own, from a prior marriage.

When the woman checked her jewelry box, deputies said she noticed that both rings, as well as several jewelry pieces, were missing.

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Deputies said the woman contacted her boyfriend’s fiancee and got some of her belongings back. After both relationships ended due to the infidelity, deputies said both women began cooperating with each other and with detectives.

The Orlando fiancee told deputies “Brown” had fooled her, too — even taking her to the Orange City girlfriend’s house while she was at work, claiming the house was his, and asking her to move in with him. Deputies said the woman told detectives she packed up her apartment, disassembled her furniture and was ready to move, until one day, he told her the deal had fallen through.

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The fiancee also reported a laptop and jewelry were missing from her apartment after “Brown” moved out and disappeared.

Deputies said neither woman knew the man’s real name, but they were able to track him down through the address one woman had been given of a niece he supposedly had in North Carolina. Deputies said when they contacted the woman who lived at the address, it turned out to be the man’s sister.

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Deputies said the man, identified as Joseph Davis, had a record as a convicted felon in Oregon and North Carolina, and has an active arrest warrant out in Oregon for a hit and run crash with injuries.

Investigators said Davis had prior arrests including possession of fictitious ID, filing a false police report, domestic assault and possession of cocaine with intent to sell. In one of his out-of-state booking records from 2014, the jail listed a tattoo described as a cross with “Only God can judge me” on his left arm — identical to the tattoo both victims described their boyfriend/fiancee as having.

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Anyone with information about Davis’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Volusia Sheriff’s Office at 386-668-3830 and ask for Detective Wheeler. If you want to remain anonymous and qualify for a potential cash reward, you can contact Crime Stoppers of Northeast Florida at 888-277-TIPS, or via the P3 Tips app available at northeastflorida.crimestoppersweb.com.