U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling Thursday came in a lawsuit filed by biologist Brittney Brown, who worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alleging that her Sept. 15 firing — five days after Kirk was shot during an appearance at a Utah university — violated her First Amendment rights. Brown sought a preliminary injunction to require the commission to reinstate her. While Walker’s order sided with state officials in denying a preliminary injunction, he also indicated that a decision about reinstating the fired employee could change if more information is provided to bolster Brown’s arguments.
Cops/Courts
State Kills Bryan Jennings, 66, For Kidnapping, Rape and Murder of Rebecca Kunash, 6, in 1979
More than 46 years after he kidnapped, raped and murdered a 6-year-old girl in Brevard County, Bryan Frederick Jennings was put to death by lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison. Jennings was convicted of murdering Rebecca Kunash on May 11, 1979, in Merritt Island. A 1986 sentencing order said Jennings in the early morning hours went to the window of the child’s bedroom and saw her asleep.
Leigha Mumby Rearrested on Vehicular Homicide Charge in Death of Daniel Waterman, and Released on $150,000 Bond
Leigha Mumby, the 24-year-old Flagler Beach woman accused of causing the death of her boyfriend and father of her child, Daniel Waterman, in a car crash last February, turned herself in at the Flagler County jail the afternoon of Oct. 29, after a warrant was issued for her rearrest.
Jury Exonerates ‘Ed Boy’ Sampson of Shoving Pregnant Woman; He Would Have Faced Up to 30 Years in Prison
After a trial of barely three hours, a six-member jury–four women, two men, one Black–took 105 minutes this afternoon to find Edward “Ed Boy” Sampson, 30, not guilty of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. On its face, it was not a significant case. But because of his criminal history, a conviction for Sampson would have doubled his punishment to up to 30 years in prison, with 15 of that mandatory, to be served day for day. Sampson would have been in his mid-40s or 50s before he would have seen another day’s freedom.
Sheriff Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide of Elderly Couple in Palm Coast’s P-Section
Authorities on Wednesday found Julio Alonso, 85, and Martha Alonso, 74, dead of gunshots in an apparent murder-suicide at the house they’d lived in for 37 ears at 16 Pinelynn Lane in Palm Coast.
Sheriff’s Mark Strobridge is Flagler County Veteran of the Year
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Chief of Staff Mark Strobridge was selected as the 2025 Colonel Gary E. DeKay Veteran of the Year, an honor recognizing exceptional service to both nation and community.
Palm Coast Resident and Army Recruit Indicted On Sex Abuse Charges From When He Was 13
A Flagler County Grand Jury on Nov. 7 indicted 22-year-old Giovanni Gabriel Curtis, a Palm Coast resident and U.S. Army recruit, on a life felony rape charge involving a child younger than 12, when Curtis was himself 13. He also faces a molestation charge. He has confessed profusely to his mother, to a detective and to his victims, to whom he has also proffered unbidden apologies and regret.
Kansas County Will pay $3 Million Settlement for Raiding Newspaper’s Offices
The county involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 will pay a cumulative $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor. In two of the four agreements, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office also crafted a statement admitting regret. The agreements coincide with consent judgments expected to be submitted in their federal cases against the county.
Federal Judge Skeptical of Florida Agency’s Case for Firing Biologist Over Charlie Kirk Sarcasm
Attorneys for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the agency fired biologist Brittney Brown to “prevent foreseeable disruption” after Brown reposted a sarcastic social media post about Charlie Kirk’s endorsement of occasional mass shootings if it’s the price of protecting the Second Amendment. U.S. District Judge Mark Walker was skeptical of the state’s defense: “Just because something’s inappropriate or controversial, how is it not covered by the First Amendment?” Walker asked.
‘Ed Boy,’ Target of Murderers in a Trial 9 Months Ago, Is Now a Defendant Facing Up to 30 Years Over a Shove
Edward Gerard Sampson, better known as Ed Boy, shoved a woman and was charged with aggravated battery, a charge that would normally result in a minor penalty, possibly some jail time or probation. But the woman was pregnant, and Sampson is a habitual offender who was released from prison in May. Those factors combined now mean that if the jury convicts him at his trial this week, Sampson could spend the next 30 years in prison for that shove.
15-Year-Old FPC Student Charged as Adult Sentenced to 18 to 36 Months in Lock-Up Over Gun Incidents
After carrying a 9 mm handgun with him all day at Flagler Palm Coast High School last Sept. 4, Sean Junior Goska, 15, who was on probation for a series of felonies but nevertheless attending school, went to McDonald’s with a few friends and pulled the gun on one of them. On Friday, in a plea, he was sentenced to 18 o 38 months in a juvenile prison followed by two years of house arrest and three years on probation.
Palm Coast Fire Department Lands $26,000 Firefighter Cancer Decontamination Grant
The Palm Coast Fire Department was awarded a $26,000 Firefighter Cancer Decontamination Grant from the Florida Department of Financial Services.
Chaining Record, DeSantis Signs Another Death Warrant: Mark Geralds, Who Murdered Tressa Pettibone in 1989
Expanding a modern-era record for executions in a year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of murdering a Bay County woman in 1989. Mark Allen Geralds is scheduled to be executed Dec. 9 for the murder of Tressa Lynn Pettibone, a 33-year-old Panama City Beach mother who was beaten and stabbed to death in her home. Pettibone’s body was discovered on the kitchen floor by her 8-year-old son, Bart, when he returned from school on Feb. 1, 1989, according to court records. Tressa Lynn Pettibone was stabbed three times in her neck.
Jeff Gray, Activist Wrongfully Arrested Outside Funky Pelican, Demands $200,000 in Pre-Suit Offer
Jeff Gray, the 55-year-old St. Augustine activist wrongfully arrested outside the Funky Pelican restaurant in Flagler Beach on a trespassing charge last March, is seeking $200,000 in compensation from the city, or he said he will sue. The $200,000 claim may not be all that Gray will seek.
Sailboat Runs Aground in Flagler Beach, Close to Pier’s Construction Zone
A 30-foot sailboat from Hilton Head, S.C., ran aground just north of the Flagler Beach pier shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday. A crew of two-a man and a woman in their late 30s, early 40s–were aboard the boat. Neither was injured. But the boat’s keel has been damaged, making the boat inoperable.
Appeals Court Upholds 5-Year Prison Sentence for Brendan Depa in Matanzas Teacher’s Aide Attack
The Fifth District Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld the five-year prison and 15-year probation sentence against Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student whose video-captured beating of a teacher’s aide unconscious in February 2023 drew worldwide attention. In a long interview, Gene Lopes, a teacher and mentor of Depa’s who just visited him, describes his progress in prison and his plans after prison.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Battalion Chief Gary Potter Is “Lest We Forget Award” Recipient
The Knights of Columbus Corpus Christi Assembly 2810 and Santa Maria Del Mar Catholic Church recognized Palm Coast Battalion Chief Gary Potter with the Tony Gasparino “Lest We Forget Award.” Chief Potter accepted the award alongside his wife, Jacqui, and their children during the annual Veterans Day Celebration hosted by the Knights of Columbus.
Home Builders Association’s Lawsuit Over Impact Fees is ‘Legally Insufficient,’ Palm Coast Argues in Response
Palm Coast government has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit the Flagler Home Builders Association filed against the city in October, arguing that the lawsuit is legally insufficient. The association is challenging the city’s new schedule of steeply higher development impact fees. Motions to dismiss are often filed as a first step in response to a civil action. Barring terribly flawed arguments and legal grounding by the party filing the suit, motions to dismiss are just as often denied. But they block out the grounds where the battle will be fought. and signal where a settlement may take shape.
Sheriff Staly Recalls the Great, the Good and the Bad of 50 Years in Law Enforcement as Community Pays Tribute
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly was honored Tuesday at the Sheriff’s Operations Center just renamed for him, in a tribute to his 50 years in law enforcement. The event, attended by some 150 people, included elected officials from every major local government except the school board, two other sheriffs, a congressman, a pair of constitutional officers (other than Staly), and County Judge Andrea Totten.
Nicholas Alo, Who Served Prison in Notorious Flagler Beach Case, Is Re-Sentenced to Probation After Violation
Nicholas Alo, the 24-year-old Palm Coast resident sentenced to two years in prison in late 2023 for his role in a violent assault on a teen in Flagler Beach, was rearrested on a probation violation and today sentenced to a restoration of his three-year probation term.
Town Center Developer Sues Palm Coast, Accusing City of Breaking Promise on Water and Sewer Capacity
The developer of Palm Coast’s Town Center is suing the city for breach of contract, alleging that Palm Coast government has failed to guarantee water and sewer service for Town Center holdings it was planning to sell. Palm Coast Holdings, the successor to Florida Landmark Communities and a subsidiary of Duluth, Minn.-based Allete Corp., sued Palm Coast in Circuit Court in Bunnell on Oct. 23. They are asking a judge to enforce the city’s promise of providing water and sewer service to Town Center, or require it to pay unspecified damages.
Man Who Stole Coquina Rocks from Tuscany Subdivision Hawks Them on Facebook, Tipping Off Victim and Cops
Thomas Cameron Dupree, 37, was arrested on three felony charges after allegedly stealing numerous coquina rocks from a construction site at the Tuscany subdivision in Palm Coast then posting several pictures of the rocks on Facebook to sell them, tipping off his victim, who arranged a “buy.” Dupree was arrested in a sting operation.
9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb and Partners Raise $8,000 for National Fallen Firefighters Foundation
The 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb, Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa, and the Flagler County Fire Rescue Annual Golf Outing presented an $8,000 check to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). The funds were raised through the 2024 9/11 Memorial Tribute Climb and Golf Outing, along with early contributions from 2025 events.
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by ICE and Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days
Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents. They’ve had their necks kneeled on. They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear. At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them. One of those women had already had the door of her home blown off while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem watched. About two dozen Americans have said they were held for more than a day without being able to phone lawyers or loved ones.
Florida Lawmakers File Bill for Stricter E-Bike Rules and Reporting
Naples Rep. Yvette Benarroch and St. Johns Rep. Kim Kendall have introduced a measure (HB 243) that seeks to strengthen Florida’s traffic safety laws by integrating electric bicycles, motorized scooters and electric motorcycles into the state’s regulatory framework. Under the legislation, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) would be required to maintain a separate database of crash statistics involving tandem-trailer trucks, motorized scooters, electric bicycles, and electric motorcycles to support future policy development and public safety initiatives.
Overruling Judge, Attorney General Says Prosecutors and Staff May Bring Guns into Courtrooms
In an Oct. 20 letter posted to the attorney general’s website, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier told Sarasota’s Republican State Attorney, Ed Brodsky, that he and his staff should be allowed to bring their guns into courtrooms — even though the Chief Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit decreed otherwise in a September order.
Palm Coast Woman Who Let Mom Die in ‘Concentration Camp’ Conditions Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison
Kim Zaheer, the now-68-year-old woman accused of letting her mother die of such neglect that neither the medical examiner nor the funeral home personnel who handled the body said they’d seen anything so abject in their careers, was sentenced to six years in prison this afternoon. Frances Hildegard King, 88, was found dead on Dec. 5, 2018, at the house she owned at 20 Rocket Lane in Palm Coast since 2008. With time served and time off for good behavior, Zaheer may be out of prison in a year and two months.
Daniel VanDeusen Named Flagler Fire Rescue’s Interim Deputy Chief
Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker has named Daniel VanDeusen – formerly battalion chief – to the position of Interim Deputy Chief following the promotion of Percy Sayles, who previously held that position, to Deputy County Administrator.
Parents Each Charged 4 Days Apart With Felony Child Abuse Involving Same Autistic Teen Son
Jason Joseph Reed, 42, of Raeland Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on Oct, 21 and charged with felony child abuse following an incident captured on internal video and involving his autistic teenage stepson. Four days later, Jason’s wife Janet Lynn Reed, 41, was arrested on an identical charge following a different incident with her son, who will be referred to here as Tom (a pseudonym). Tom was taken to the hospital after the second incident.
State Kills Norman Grim for 1998 Murder of Cynthia Chapman, Record 15th Execution of the Year
After declining to fight the execution in court, Norman Grim was put to death by lethal injection Tuesday evening at Florida State Prison for the 1998 sexual assault and murder of a woman in Santa Rosa County. Grim, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m., becoming the 15th inmate executed in Florida this year — a modern-era record.
Palm Coast Fire Department’s Osvaldo Sene Is Kiwanis Club’s Firefighter of the Year
The Flagler-Palm Coast Kiwanis Club has named Palm Coast Firefighter Paramedic Osvaldo “Ozzy” Sene its 2025 Firefighter of the Year. Firefighter Paramedic Sene joined the Palm Coast Fire Department two years ago and has quickly become a standout member of the team through his dedication to professional development, community service, and mentorship.
Palm Coast Will Not Join 25 Local Governments in Lawsuit Against SB180, Which Disables Development Regulation
The Palm Coast City Council today said it is declining to join a lawsuit by 25 other local governments against a new state law, known as SB180, that has sharply restricted governments’ regulatory authority on local development. Bunnell, Flagler Beach and county government have also declined. Council member Theresa Pontieri pushed back against Mayor Mike Norris’s suggestion to join the lawsuit, saying the city should not risk its political capital by alienating lawmakers whose help and appropriations it needs, at a time when lobbyists are near certain that the law will be amended by next March.
Leigha Mumby, 24, Now Faces Vehicular Homicide Charge in Crash Death of Boyfriend Daniel Waterman
Prosecutors this morning filed a vehicular homicide charge against 24-year-old Leigha Catherine Mumby in addition to the two previous felony charges Mumby has faced since July. The new charge is the result of the death of Daniel Waterman, 22, earlier this month, eight months after he was critically injured in a car crash on I-95 in Palm Coast, as Mumby drove. An FHP investigation determined Mumby intentionally caused the crash when she was upset with her boyfriend.
When Florida Sends Goons to Intimidate Government Critics
Retired Florida resident James O’Gara sent a postcard to Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, saying simply, “You lack values.” Soon after the postcard, two guys in armored vests emblazoned “POLICE” showed up at the O’Gara home and asked if James O’Gara had mailed that little missive to Tallahassee. They didn’t identify themselves, but the O’Garas checked with Largo police and found out the men were from the Department of Financial Services’ investigations unit.
At His Memorial, Sheriff’s K9 Kyro ‘Nubs’ Is Remembered for His Fierce Loyalty and Love of Challenges
First Baptist Church of Bunnell was the site of two funerals for law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021. Today, the church was against the site of a memorial for a fallen officer. For the first time in Flagler County’s history, it was for a K9, a police dog, the first to lose his life in the line of duty: K9 Kyro, nicknamed “nubs” for the tail that had to be amputated from his tendency to be overexcited, died from an undetected heart ailment on Oct. 14.
Critical After February Crash, Daniel Waterman, 22, Died on Oct. 8. His Pregnant Girlfriend Is Accused of Causing the Crash.
Last Super Bowl Sunday, the day Leigha Mumby, 24, discovered she was pregnant by her boyfriend, Daniel M. Waterman, 22, Mumby drove her Honda into a tree on I-95 in Palm Coast, seriously injuring herself and critically injuring Waterman, who was hospitalized since and who died on Oct. 8. Mumby was charged with a second-degree felony when an FHP investigation determined she had intentionally caused the crash. The charge may be aggravated, now that Waterman has died. His family is seeking custody of the child.
Flagler Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Percy Sayles Named as County Administrator Petito’s Deputy in Place of Salinas
Flagler County Administrator Heidi Peito has named Deputy Fire Chief Percy Sayles deputy county administrator, replacing Jorge Salinas, who died in a car crash on Oct. 4. Petito informed county commissioners of her decision in individual meetings on Monday, and announced the decision publicly this morning in a release. Flagler County Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker appointed Sayles his deputy in December 2021.
DeSantis Signs 17th Death Warrant of the Year, More than 6 States Combined, Including Texas
In what could be Florida’s 17th execution this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a death warrant for Richard Barry Randolph, convicted of raping and murdering Putnam County convenience-store manager Minnie Ruth McCollum in 1988. The 17 death warrants are more than the number of executions in six states combined, including Texas, which has the second-most executions so far this year, with five, and Alabama, third-most with four.
Judge Rejects Wife-Murderer’s Claim that Stand Your Ground Would Have Exonerated Him
No Stand Your Ground defense would have been valid, no ineffective representation was provided, no appeal for a new trial was granted. That’s the summary of a 24-page order a judge filed in Keith Johansen’s claim that he was poorly represented at his murder trial four years ago and should get a new one. Johansen is the 43-year-old former Palm Coast resident serving a life sentence for killing his wife Brandi Celenza at their F-Section home in 2018, after nights of demeaning her, humiliating her and threatening her, at times with a gun.
Court Increases Legal Fees Owed ‘Conversion Therapists’ to Nearly $900,000
Palm Beach County and Boca Raton governments are required to pay about $885,000 in attorney fees and other legal costs after a battle about bans on the controversial practice known as “conversion therapy,” a federal appeals court ruled Monday.
County Votes 5-0 to Rename Operations Center Sheriff Rick Staly Law Enforcement Center
The Flagler County Commission on Monday approved renaming the two-year-old Sheriff’s Operations Center off Commerce Parkway after Sheriff Rick Staly. The complex, officially at 61 Sheriff E.W. Johnston Drive, will be known as the Sheriff Rick Staly Law Enforcement Center. Chief Mark Strobridge initiated the proposal in recognition of Staly marking 50 years in law enforcement–a celebration is schedule for Nov. 4–and Commissioner Leann Pennington fronted the renaming at the commission two weeks ago. Commissioners voted 5-0.
Teacher and Counselor Detail Sexual Abuse Stepfather Is Alleged to Have Inflicted on Girl Since She Was 9
Ahead of 47-year-old Palm Coast resident Kristopher Henriqson’s December trial, a teacher and a counselor at a local middle school testified in a court hearing today to the details of the abuse and rapes a 6th grader said she endured at Henriqson’s hand. A judge ruled the teacher’s and counselor’s testimonies admissible, as will be a forensic interview of the child, now 12, with with a member of the Child Protection Team.
Cops Charge Woman Over Inflated Weenie
Jeana Renea Gamble, 61, was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for wearing an inflatable penis costume at a No Kings demonstration. Video of the arrest posted to Bluesky showed three officers holding her to the ground amid criticism from spectators. The video went viral over the weekend and led to widespread criticism of the officers.
Jermaine Williams Loses Two Dozen Motions Contesting His Death-Penalty Trial for Killing of Wife Yolonda
Jermaine Williams Sr, 53, is to be tried early next year for the stabbing death of his wife Yolonda Williams in the couple’s driveway in Bunnell 14 months ago. The defense team today argued 26 motions, lost 25, many of them arguing the constitutionality of the death penalty or death penalty trial procedures such as victim impact statements, or even whether Williams should wear restraints at his trial. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols said the challenges were to settled law.
Millions Protest Trump Authoritarianism: A Roundup from Around the Country
Millions of Americans packed streets, parks and town squares across the United States Saturday for No Kings day, according to the organizers of the massive day of demonstrations protesting President Donald Trump’s administration — from his deployment of troops to cities to his targeting of political opponents. They showed up at more than 2,600 events for the second organized No Kings day in America’s largest cities like Atlanta, New York City and Chicago, to smaller metro areas and towns including Greensburg, Pennsylvania; Bismarck, North Dakota; Palm Coast, Florida; and Hammond, Louisiana.
At ‘No Kings’ Protests in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, Cheer, Energy and Defiance in Throngs, But Effects Elusive
What there was more than anything at today’s trio of “No Kings” demonstrations in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, where many hundreds gathered and protested as millions did across the country, was cheer and charm as much as challenge and conviction, making you wonder where all that energy was as Trump’s opponents floundered in gloomy defeat a mere 11 months ago. It made you wonder where all that energy is even now, especially now, as his political opposition continues to grope for relevance.
75-Year-Old Retired Cop Shoots Himself in the Leg During Training Hosted by Flagler Sheriff’s Office
Charles Dee Rowsell, a 75-year-old Palm Coast resident and retired law enforcement officer, was participating in a firearms qualification course hosted by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office when he shot himself in the leg while holstering his gun this afternoon, according to a sheriff’s report. He was airlifted to Halifax hospital. The incident took place shortly after noon the Flagler Gun and Archery Club on County Road 90, which also hosts the sheriff’s gun range.
Florida Prisons Chief Wants ‘Staggering’ Half a Billion Dollars Next Year Just for Operations, Not Salaries
Sounding as desperate as he ever has since being appointed four years ago, Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Secretary Ricky Dixon asked a panel of state lawmakers Wednesday for more than $512 million for next fiscal year to maintain the prison system. “It is a staggering amount of money that we’re asking for. I’m aware of that,” Dixon told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice. Adding to the scale of the needs, he said that amount did not include funding for salaries of correction officers, which he said rank among the lowest for its size in the country.
FBI Was in Mondex Today Investigating Sheriff’s Deputy’s Property Involved in Accidental AR-15 Shooting of Boy
The FBI joined Flagler County Sheriff’s investigators today at the Daytona North property of a sheriff’s deputy at the center of a shooting that injured an 11-year-old boy on a neighboring property the evening of Aug. 27. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Bryan “Scotty” Jackson and his daughter, a new recruit with the agency, were target-shooting in the backyard with an AR-15 that the new recruit had just received from the agency when a bullet Jackson says he fired traveled halfway up the block to the property at 1288 Hazelnut Street and struck the boy, who was in his room.
Jury Exonerates Palm Coast’s Kevin Cichowski in 2-Day Trial
A Flagler County jury on Tuesday exonerated 45-year-old Kevin Kevin J. Cichowski of three domestic violence charges, two of them felonies, stemming from an incident involving his wife at their C-Section house in September 2024. Cichowski was briefly a candidate for Palm Coast mayor in the special election of 2021. He cited a family member’s health as the reason for dropping out.