Members of the public will be able to enter and move through courthouses across the state, including the Flagler County courthouse, while in-person court proceedings will continue to have mask requirements and social distancing.
Circuit & County Court
Lauryn Darnell, 19, Will Serve 3 Years in Prison for Role in W-Section Conspiracy and Shooting That Left a Man Disabled
Lauryn Darnell, one of four co-conspirators in the armed robbery and shooting of Carl Saint Felix on Palm Coast’s White Star Drive in 2018, pleaded today to conspiring to armed robbery and principal to armed robbery and will be sentenced to three years in prison followed by three years’ probation.
Benjamin Allen, Now 18, Will Go on Trial May 24 for Murder of Elijah Rizvan, 17, in W-Section Shooting
Benjamin Allen, accused of shooting 17-year-old Elijah Rizvan to death in front of 7 Westford Lane in Palm Coast almost two years ago, faces life in prison if convicted. He previously turned down a plea deal requiring him to serve 30 years in prison, with a possibility of early release after 25.
Facing Death by Lethal Injection, Derrek Perkins Pleads Guilty to Murdering His Wife and Gets Life in Prison
Derrek Perkins pleaded guilty to five charges, including murder, charges before Circuit Judge Howard Maltz in St. Augustine. The judge then sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The plea essentially spared Perkins his life–and spared prosecutors, defense lawyers and taxpayers years of litigation and appeals.
Restaurant Owner Danny Catalan, Now a Felon, Sentenced to 6 Months in Jail and 4 Years’ Probation in 3 Cases
Arrested three times in six months, Daniel Catalan, 41, had threatened an employee he’d just fired, pointed a gun at a minor and battered a family member. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.
As Jury Trials Are Set To Finally Resume for Good in Flagler, Judge Perkins Sends Reassurances to the Covid Leery
Potential jurors being are being reassured by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, the senior and administrative judge in the county, that “every court process and procedure” has been reviewed “to ensure that your jury service is safe.”
Matanzas Student Who Wrote Song Threatening Dean’s Life Pleads to Deal That May Erase the Charge
Joseph Washington, 18, was arrested in January after Matanzas High faculty learned of a song he’d uploaded, threatening Tom Wooleyhan, a dean, by name. He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation on a third-degree felony charge, a plea deal the judge found surprising for its leniency. The charge will be dropped if Washington fulfills its terms over the next 18 months.
Judge Rules Against Excluding Key Interview with Detectives in Larry Cavallaro Rape Case as Details Emerge
Cavallaro, a former gallery owner in Flagler Beach who divided his time between Winter Park and the beach town, was arrested on June 12, 2019, on a first-degree felony rape charge stemming from an allegation that he drugged and raped 40-year-old woman who had gone to visit him there with a friend. He’s been free on $100,000 bond.
Ex Palm Coast Gang Leader Brandon Washington Gets Another Chance to Contest 4 Life Sentences
The Fifth District Court of Appeal today ruled in favor of Brandon Washington’s appeal on three grounds, among them that his attorney did not present evidence or a witness who could have provided an alibi, undermining the state’s claim that Washington was at the scene of the 2007 home invasion and murder that led to his trial and conviction.
Jury Summonses Fail to Go Out In Time, Again Delaying In-Person Jury Trials in Flagler
Contrary to the court system’s announcement last week that in-person trials could resume in Flagler this week, a vendor snafu with jury summonses caused the trials to be delayed yet again, to mid-April.