Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler elections supervisor convicted on eight felony counts of illegally recording conversations, filed the initial brief to her appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal almost 14 months after her trial.
Circuit & County Court
David Zlokas, 66, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison in DUI Death of ‘Best Friend’ Gary St. Peter
David Zlokas, the 66-year-old former resident of Surf Side condominiums, drove home drunk in 2017 and smashed his Mustang against a tree. He survived. Gary St. Peter did not.
Siding With Local Governments, Judge Strikes Law Penalizing Officials Who Pass Gun Rules Stricter Than State’s
In 2011, Florida lawmakers approved a series of penalties that local governments and officials could face if they violated the prohibition on gun laws that are stricter than the state’s.
So You Want To Be a Flagler County Judge: Nominating Commission Is Fielding Applicants
The Judicial Nominating Commission for the Seventh Judicial Circuit is taking applications for the newly created Flagler County Judge seat, leaving Gov. Ron DeSantis to make the appointment likely this fall.
County Threatens to Sue Clerk of Court Bexley in 48 Hours Over Space Request for Sheriff at Courthouse
The county commission will sue Clerk of Court Tom Bexley in 48 hours of he does not agree to a space study at the courthouse, and to abide with the study’s results, in the commission’s latest effort to gain extra space for the sheriff.
Chief Judge Warns Against ‘Taking’ of Courthouse As Sheriff’s Picture in Murder Investigation Lobbies Commission on Space
Chief Judge Raul Zambrano issued a forcefully written, potentially game-changing letter on the sheriff occupying space at the Flagler courthouse even as the sheriff himself was lobbying the county commission with an illustration of constraints on his troops.
Group Files Federal Suit Challenging Florida Restrictions on Felons’ Voting Rights Moments After DeSantis Signs New Law
A partisan firestorm erupted in the waning days of this year’s legislative session after Republicans tacked onto the elections package provisions aimed at implementing the voter-approved constitutional amendment that restores the voting rights of felons who have completed their sentences.
Michael Wilson Acquitted of Attempted Murder of His Pregnant Wife, Jury Convicts on Lesser Charges
Michael Wilson was acquitted of the most serious charge against him–attempting to electrocute his wife–but convicted on a grand theft charge and a battery charge, exposing him to up top five years in prison.
‘I Do Hear Voices,’ Man Accused of Plotting Wife’s Electrocution Says, But He’s Not Allowed to Tell the Jury
Wilson faces an attempted first-degree murder charge, for rigging his own home’s entry door in Palm Coast with a contraption intended to electrocute his wife around Christmas 2017. But he’s barred from speaking of his mental health or issues in front of the jury.
Man Accused of Attempting to Kill His Wife By Electrocution Says Using a Gun Would’ve Been Easier, If That’s What He Intended
Michael Scott Wilson, 33, is accused of rigging up the entry door to his Palm Coast home in the W Section with electric current to shock his wife to death around Christmas 2017 as the couple was having serious marital difficulties.
Facing Rape Charge, Larry Cavallaro Is Briefly Booked at Flagler Jail and Released on $100,000 Bond
Larry A. Cavallaro, the 72-year-old man facing a charge of drugging and raping a woman in Flagler Beach, was briefly extradited to Flagler before posting bail, on $100,000 bond end being released today.
Captain’s BBQ Sues Flagler County, Alleging ‘Politically Motivated’ Breach of Contract
The owners of Captain’s BBQ at Bing’s Landing filed a four-count lawsuit against Flagler County government, alleging breach of contract and seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
Judge Perkins on Flagler County’s Drug Court: Celebrating Lives Reclaimed and Empowered
More than 88 percent of Flagler County Drug Court graduates do not reoffend. Since drug court began locally, 175 participants have made it through its rigorous demands, writes Judge Perkins.
In Bing’s Twist, County and Captain’s BBQ Are Co-Defendants in Negligence Lawsuit
Notable elements in the case are its concurrence with Captain’s other challenges, its alignment of two antagonists on the same side, and the way the case illustrates the county’s responsibilities for the building.
Prosecution Questions If Accused Murderer Joey Bova Is Insane Or Just Playing The System
Joseph Bova is accused of murdering Mobilmart store clerk Zuheily Rosado in 2013, but has been seesawing between competence and incompetence since, delaying trial. He appears to be sliding back into incompetence for the third time.
Bruce Haughton Is Found Guilty of Assisted Suicide in Death of Katherine Goddard in R-Section
Bruce Haughton, 54, and Katherine Goddard, 52, his girlfriend of 16 years, attempted to jointly kill themselves in their Palm Coast home’s garage in 2017. She died. He lived. Then he was criminally charged.
For Bruce Haughton, the Price of Failing to Die in a Double-Suicide Is a Criminal Charge
Prosecutors are not disputing that Bruce Haughton, 54, wanted to die, only that when he failed in his suicide attempt, he became an accessory in the death by suicide of Kathryn Goddard, a claim he disputes.
In Rare Assisted Suicide Trial in Flagler, Jurors Weigh Sympathy For Desperation Against an Unforgiving Law
Bruce Horton, 54, became an accused criminal when he failed to die along with Katherine Goddard in Palm Coast’s R-Section two years ago as the two had made a pact to die together. He’s on trial this week.
Photographic Tour of Courthouse Illustrates Crunch and Tensions Between Sheriff and Clerk Staffs
Here’s the first detailed, photographic illustration of the space issues the sheriff, the clerk and county officials have been wrestling with over the past months at the county courthouse as the three sides try to reach an understanding on future space use.
Ex-Bunnell Cop Mike Stavris Gets 15 Years in Prison and Sex Offender Designation for Repeat Offenses
The severity of the punishment signals a turn-around for a court that had previously been willing to give Michael Stavris the benefit of the doubt and a chance at rehabilitation.
Deemed Competent, Joseph Bova Will Be Tried For 2013 Mobil Mart Murder–and Medicated By Force If Necessary
Joseph Bova is pleading insanity in the February 2013 murder of Zuheily Roman Rosado, a single mother of six. To keep him competent for trial the sheriff’s jail personnel is authorized to use force to keep him on his medications.
Prosecution Drops Further Charges Against Michael Bowling as He Appeals 20-Year Sentence
Michael Bowling was sentenced to 20 years in prison for molesting a 15-year-old, and faced even more serious charges involving his own step-daughter. The state opted to drop those charges.
A Courtroom for a Classroom, Built By Students, Gavels Matanzas High’s Law Flagship
Matanzas High School inaugurated its new courtroom, built by its own students for the school’s law and justice flagship, as the centerpiece of a program intended to develop future lawyers, paralegals and others interested in the law.
Moments Before Trial, Jerald Medders Pleads to 15 Years in Prison On Charges of Raping 16 Year Old
Jerald Medders, the 53-year-old Palm Coast resident, faced a minimum of 30 years in prison and up to life if convicted by a jury, which had already been seated for the week-long trial, when Medders changed his mind and pleaded.
In Jerald Medders Trial, Alleged Sex Crimes Are Triggers to Several Jurors’ Previous Traumas
Several potential jurors were excused Monday during jury selection in the trial of Jerald Medders, 53, who is accused of unlawful sex with a minor, as the jurors spoke of their own traumas.
Calling Judge, Jury and Prosecution a ‘Travesty,’ Michael Bowling Is Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison in Sleep-Over Molestation
Michael Craig Bowling was sentenced to two consecutive terms totaling 20 years plus 10 years’ sex-offender probation after a conviction for molesting a 15-year-old girl visiting his step-daughter for a sleep-over.
James McDevitt Back in Flagler This Week To Contest 40-Year Sentence and Rape Conviction
James McDevitt, the former Palm Coast resident serving 40 years on a 2015 conviction for rape, is alleging ineffective counsel by two successive lawyers.
Florida House Unanimously Approves Plan That Would Permanently Add a County Judge in Flagler
The Florida House on Thursday unanimously approved a plan to add two new county judges, one of them in Flagler, where County Judge Melissa Distler’s workload has long been among the heaviest in the state.
House Prepared To Raise Threshold For Felony Shoplifting From $300 to $1,000
Efforts to raise the threshold amount for the first time since 1986 have stalled in the Legislature in the past. This year’s proposal (HB 589) has steadily moved forward in the House, as criminal-justice reform advocates say there is momentum to pass such measures.
At Drug Court Graduation, Captors Become Heroes, and a City Manager Tells Of the Shooting That Made Him an ‘Orphan’
Flagler County Drug Court graduated four participants after a grueling process, and Alvin Jackson, the Bunnell city manager, who was the keynote speaker, described how his mother shot his father in self-defense.
Why the State Attorney Opted To Drop Sexual Assault Charge on Ex-Commissioner’s 20-Year-Old Son
Stephen Connor Brady, 20, was charged with statutory rape after an 18-year-old woman he knew accused him of assaulting her in November. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the charge when it found that inappropriate behavior may have been misinterpreted.
50 Years In Prison for Thomas Binkley, 62, Who Molested 2 Girls Younger Than 9
Thomas Binkley, the 62-year-old former Bunnell resident, found guilty of molesting two sisters, ages 6 and 8, will serve two consecutive mandatory 25-year terms, but is unlikely to live many years in prison as his health is failing.
In Re-Trial, Michael Bowling Is Found Guilty Of Molesting 15-Year-Old Girl at Sleep-Over
Michael Bowling, 48, was found guilty at the end of a week-long trial of molesting a 15-year-old girl two years ago in a Mondex mobile home, when she’d been visiting his step-daughter.
Latest Twist in Bowling Molestation Trial: Defense Seeks to Impeach Its Own Witness
The lawyer for Michael Bowling, accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl visiting his stepdaughter, is arguing that the two girls made up a story to keep one of them from returning to Kentucky.
After Mistrial, Michael Bowling Is Again on Trial On Accusations He Molested Girl During Sleepover
After December’s mistrial, Bunnell’s Michael Bowling, 48, was back on trial anew today, facing his accuser who says he molested her in a dark closet during a sleepover at her friend’s house.
Judge Denies End of Sex-Offender Probation For Ex-Matanzas Teacher Who Had Sex With Student
James Wolfe was found guilty in April 2014 of engaging in unlawful sex with one of his students, who was 16 at the time, and whom he was coaching in cross-country. He was 30.
Man Who Threatened to Blow Up Sheriff’s Office and Kill the Sheriff Gets 3 Years in Prison
The sentence against Raymond Crown of Palm Coast is a reflection of the vanished tolerance even in the judiciary for threats inspired by bombings or mass shootings.
After December Mistrial, Michael Bowling Will Be Tried Again on Molestation Charges Feb. 18
Michael Bowling is facing two counts of molesting a 15-year-old girl who’d been visiting his stepdaughter for a sleepover in Bunnell’s Mondex.
9 Years in Prison For Tyler W. Dutton in DUI Manslaughter Death of Jordan Marie Rineer, 25
Tyler Wayne Dutton was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years’ probation in the death of 25-year-old Jordan Marie Rineer on U.S. 1 in October 2015.
Thomas Binkley, 62, Found Guilty of Molesting 2 Girls, 6 and 8, and Faces Life in Prison
Thomas Binkley of Bunnell was living with the girls at the time of the incidents. Their parents had taken him in because he’d fallen on hard times and was in poor health.
Jury Deadlocks, Mistrial Declared In Case of 47-Year-Old Accused of Molesting Girl at Sleepover
Michael Bowling, 47, will remain in jail on numerous charges even as numerous inconsistencies led a jury today to deadlock over charges he molested a 15-year-old girl.
Defense’s Strategy in Molestation Trial: Attacking, Discrediting and Demolishing an Alleged Victim
The defense in Michael Bowling’s trial today focused not on the charges at hand, but on one key witness, a teen girl, in attempts to impeach her credibility and accusations.
In Child-Molestation Trial, Even a Juror Raises a Question About a Main Witness’ Credibility
The defense seriously damaged the credibility of the step-daughter of Michael Bowling, 47, on trial for molesting the step-daughter’s friend when she was 15–and facing more grave charges regarding his step-daughter as well.
From ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ to a Teen’s Accusation of Molestation in a Closet
Michael Bowling, 47, in his first day of trial today, is accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl during a game of “Seven Minutes In Heaven” as the two were allegedly in a closet alone.
Judges Gaustad and Ferebee Join 7th Judicial Circuit Bench, Among Other Changes
The Seventh Judicial Circuit welcomes two new Circuit Judges and announces changes to judicial assignments for several sitting judges.
Survivor of Half-Failed Double-Suicide May Not Get To Blame Depression in “Assisted Murder” Defense
Bruce Haughton says he planned to kill himself and his ex-girlfriend Katherine Goddard in her R-Section home. She died. He survived. The prosecution sees it only as assisted murder, discounting his mental state.
Kimberle Weeks Pleads to Another Felony Count and, Months Late, Files Appeal
Kimberle Weeks, the former Flagler County elections supervisor, pleaded to the eighth and final felony count against her the day her attorney filed an appeal with the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Rejecting Lesser Term, Judge Sentences Jonathan Canales to Life in Prison in Attempted Murder of Ex-Girlfriend
Jonathan Canales, 31, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend Tiffany Norman in their Mondex home in 2014. The judge declined to exercise his discretion, which would have allowed him to sentence him to anywhere from 25 years to life.
In Last-Minute Plea Before Trial, Phillip Haire Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison For
Shooting at His Father and a Cop
Phillip Haire, 21, was facing three life-in-prison terms on 10 violent charges in the drive-by shooting targeting a sheriff’s sergeant and Haire’s father on London Drive in Palm Coast in May 2017.
Death For Dangerous Dog Cooper Likely as Judge Sees Scant ‘Legal Basis’ to Stop It
A circuit judge gave supporters of Cooper, the dangerous dog condemned to death, little hope today after a one-hour hearing in an appeal designed to commute the dog’s death sentence.