The law (HB 5) is set to take effect Friday. It will be in place for at least a few days before Cooper issues a written order. The state also quickly announced it plans to file an appeal, which would automatically freeze Cooper’s order and effectively put the law back into effect.
Circuit & County Court
Seminole’s Judge Wayne Culver Faces 60-Day Suspension for Rude Courtroom Outbursts
Judge Wayne Culver became angry about interruptions, made inappropriate comments to a litigant, and in another instance was rude to a person entering the courtroom.
Probation Revoked, Jamie Nejame Gets a Year in Jail for Violating Order After Shooting at Neighbors’ House
Jamie Nejame, 73, a former candidate for office in Flagler Beach multiple times, was sentenced this morning to a year in jail for brazenly violating his probation just weeks after he was sentenced to probation on remarkably lenient terms, despite firing at least four shots at his neighbors’ house, where children were present.
3 Months in Jail for Travis Smith, Who’d Drunkenly Assaulted and Spat on Lyft Driver
Travis Schriever Smith, the 38-year-old Palm Coast resident a jury in May found guilty of assaulting a Lyft driver in his car and by the side of a road in 2020, was sentenced to three months in jail and six months on probation today by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. The jury had acquitted him of a felony burglary charge that could have exposed Smith to prison time.
Larry Cavallaro, 75, Says He’s Guilty of Raping Flagler Woman, But Evades Prison Time in Plea
Larry Cavallaro, 75, a former gallery owner in Flagler Beach, pleaded guilty today to raping a woman at his home in Beverly Beach in December 2017, but was sentenced only to two years’ house arrest and eight years of sex offender probation.
Prison ‘Gain Time’ Case Roils Court as Sexual Offender Is Deemed Eligible for Early Release
Rejecting longstanding legal precedent, a state appeals court said Friday that a man convicted of attempted sexual battery on a child is eligible to be considered for early release from prison.
15 Years in Prison for Angelo Antolino, 31, for Killing Indiana Kerns, 59, in Drunk Driving Crash
Angelo Antolino, a 31-year-old resident of Commerce Avenue in Deltona, was sentenced to 15 years in prison today for the death of Indiana Kerns, 59, in a head-on crash caused by Antolino’s drunk driving on U.S. 1 early the morning of April 1, 2020.
How Mud Muckers in West Flagler Bogged Down in Its Own Lawsuit and Wetlands Violations, and Lost
Mud Muckers for many years operated as a huge ATV park southwest of Bunnell, until it was found to be violating wetlands rules and required to move. Mud Muckers sued its landlord, and today lost its final appeal, four years after it said–inaccurately–that it had been unceremoniously shut down.
Judge Won’t Revoke or Reduce $500,000 Bond on 16-Year-old Damari Barnes After Jail Incident
Damari Barnes is being held on $500,000 bond in the shooting death of 19-year-old Jamey Bennett. The prosecution wanted his bond revoked following an jail incident in which Barnes allegedly attacked another inmate and forced him to drink urine. The defense wanted the bond reduced to $100,000, so Barnes could go home. The judge denied both.
Trial Diary: A Journalist Sits on a Baltimore Jury
Could 12 strangers agree on justice in Baltimore, a city riddled with killings and distrust of the police, in a shooting case where the victim was an actor on the legendary drama “The Wire”?