Crime Reports, Flagler County and Palm Coast , June 14-20, 2010

The following incident and arrest information was compiled using official documents, reports and affidavits obtained from government and law enforcement agencies. This feature is not inclusive. It is a sampling of reported incidents in the Flagler County area. Note: The U.S. legal system provides the presumption of innocence to those charged with a crime until guilt is proven in a court of law.

This page is updated every weekday or as warranted.

Destructive Teens Caught

Two teens believed to have smashed a front window at the Country Store in western Flagler County June 20 were caught by deputies just minutes after their mischief, a Sheriff’s Office report indicates. The deputy that responded to the store’s alarm recognized the shirtless teen seen hurling a stone through the window in surveillance footage, the report said. It wasn’t long before the second teen seen in the footage was identified as well. Both teens, ages 15 and 16 and whose names were not released, were tracked down, charged with criminal mischief and turned over to their parents, the report said.

Allegedly Unruly Inmate Charged

An inmate at the Flagler County jail who correction officers said habitually refused to follow jail rules was charged June 17, a Sheriff’s Office report said. Kinncy H. Gourdet, 18, of Palm Coast, was charged with being a habitual jail offender. Bond was set at $1,000. Jail guards said over the past three months Gourdet indecently exposed himself and had numerous other documented instances of insolence to staff, disobedience and destruction of facility property.

There are ample questions, however, as to whether Gourdet should be in jail, as opposed to a mental health facility. He faced a second-degree felony charge two years ago, when he was 16, for attempted murder. He was charged as an adult. In July 2009, he was judged incompetent to stand trial and remanded to the custody of the Department of Children and Families. Last March, he was declared competent again and returned to jail. He was booked into the Flagler County jail on March 23.

Florida’s prison system in general, and local jails in particular, are under-equipped to deal with inmates with mental health issues. Piling up additional charges doesn’t usually help.

Team Dispute With Umpire Requires Deputy Intervention

The ump, a 60-year-old man whose name was not released, made several bad calls during an evening game June 16 at the county ball fields, two players told deputies. Thomas Bradshaw, 34, was removed from the field after the umpire said he spewed profanities and threats at him. But another on Bradshaw’s team, Teresa Culver, 31, said the umpire later threatened to kick her. It wasn’t the first time this team and umpire have had disputes, the report indicated.

Gunfire And A Possible Home Invasion

Accusations of theft escalated into gunfire June 15 and landed two Palm Coast men in jail, according to a Sheriff’s Office report. But what exactly went down that night is less clear.

Fenhill Lane residents Justin Titone, 25, and Lauren Corsentino, 27, told deputies that Allan Crosswell, 52, and Roger Ambs, 51, showed up enraged about a video game console, damaged their home with a steel pipe and Crosswell forcefully invaded their home. They were able to push Crosswell back out of the home and lock the door behind him, the pair told deputies. But he continued to kick the door and hit it with the steel pipe. Corsentino retrieved a shotgun from a closet in the home “in the event that Crosswell made entry again,” the report said. But as she handed it off to Titone, it discharged, the pair told deputies. Crosswell was not in the home, they said.

Friends Crosswell and Ambs, of Palm Coast and Flagler Beach respectively, had a different story, though. Titone and Corsentino had taken some property from Crosswell’s home the day before, the men said. They were there that night to get some answers. But as they walked toward the home, they were greeting by Titone and Corsentino. Titone had a bat, in their telling of the story. That prompted Crosswell to go get a steel pipe from his car “for self defense,” the report said. Meanwhile, Ambs and Titone are still arguing. When Crosswell returned with the pipe, he said Crosswell aimed a shot gun at him. He retreated to his car and waited for authorities and Ambs and Titone continued to argue, Crosswell told deputies.

In the end, deputies confiscated the 20-gauge shotgun and steel pipe and filed charges against both Crosswell and Titone. Crosswell was booked on charges of attempted home invasion and aggravated assault. Titone was arrested for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm–a second-degree felony that can land a man in prison for up to 15 years.

Burglaries

Homes and businesses were reported vandalized or burglarized at the following locations:

Pheasant Drive, Palm Coast, June 14. The front door of a home was kicked in and $450 in cash, a video game console and a laptop were taken. A mud guard believed to have come from a dark green Mitsubishi was found in the driveway.
C.R. 2006, Bunnell, June 14. A home was vandalized and a window broken in a break-in attempt.
Ulysses Trail, Palm Coast, June 14. The front door of a home was kicked in and more than $7,000 in property taken. Losses included a safe containing legal documents and $5,000, a laptop and jewelry.
Riddle Drive, Palm Coast, June 15. A home was broken into and ransacked. Nearly $1,800 in property was taken, including a grill, yard tools, painkillers and an IPOD.
Sea Breeze Trail, Palm Coast, June 13-18. The window of a home was pried open and more than $22,000 worth of cash bonds, jewelry and other household items were taken.
Water Oak Road, Bunnell, June 18. A mailbox was vandalized and seven gas cans were taken from a metal shed.
Zaun Trail, Palm Coast, June 10-18. The window of a home was smashed and three televisions and a computer system were taken.
Burroughs Drive, Palm Coast, June 16-19. A sliding glass door was pried open and a home was ransacked and burglarized. Computer equipment and jewelry were taken.

Vehicles were reported vandalized or burglarized at the following locations:

Squadron Place, Palm Coast, June 14. An iPod was taken from an unlocked vehicle.
Pine Circle Drive, Palm Coast, June 14. The rear window of a Lexus was smashed.
Bunker Hill Lane, Palm Coast, June 15. GPS units were taken from two cars.
Butterfield Drive, Palm Coast, June 15. A GPS unit was taken from an unlocked vehicle.
Burroughs Drive, Palm Coast, June 15. Two pocket knives were taken from an unlocked truck.
Belleaire Drive, Palm Coast, June 18. The driver’s side window of a truck was smashed.
Rivera Estates Drive, Palm Coast, June 18. Several pieces of lawn maintenance equipment were taken from a parked trailer.

DUI Arrests

In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people were killed in automobile crashes involving a drunk driver (someone with a blood alcohol content level of .08 or more), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Soon, a varying list of traffic and law enforcement agencies will begin releasing the DUI data they compiled in 2009. Whether drunk driving’s annual death toll rose or fell last year, the number isn’t likely to be the only acceptable one…zero. These reportedly impaired drivers were also found driving on Flagler’s streets this week and were arrested.