Amid overwhelming opposition to consolidation, a committee appointed by the Florida Supreme Court on Friday unanimously recommended against shrinking the number of judicial circuits in the state as Rep. Paul Renner had proposed. Critics labeled consolidation a gerrymandering effort aimed at weakening Democrats’ power in the court system.
Circuit & County Court
State Attorney Files Two Felony Charges Against Kerri Huckabee in Flagler Beach Dispute With Neighbors
The State Attorney’s Office on Monday filed four charges against Kerri Huckabee, the Flagler Beach resident and Montessori school owner arrested in September in the culmination of a long-running feud with her next-door neighbors. The charges include a second degree felony count of firing or throwing a deadly missile into a building, and a third degree felony count of resisting arrest with violence.
It’s Not a Good Idea to Spit at the Court Ahead of Your Sentencing. Dacotah Clarke Now Faces Up to 17.5 Years.
Dacotah Wren Clark, 27, left a plea hearing and a pending prison sentence of 2.5 years by slamming the courtroom door and spitting in the elevator. He was then re-arrested days later on a dozen new charges. After a dressing down by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, Clarke now faces up to 17.5 years in prison, without penalties for the spitting and door-slamming.
Captain’s BBQ and Flagler County Reach Tentative Settlement in Lawsuit Entering 5th Year
Captain’s BBQ and its landlord, Flagler County government, have reached a “tentative settlement” in Captain’s breach-of-contract lawsuit against the county, now entering its fifth year. The settlement was reached at an Oct. 27 mediation. But it’s not over. The County Commission must approve it, and will discuss it in a closed-door session next week. A previous proposed settlement, in 2020, failed.
Brendan Depa Tenders Open Plea in Beating of Matanzas High Staffer, Leaving Sentence Up to Judge
Brendan Depa, the 18-year-old special education student facing up to 30 years in prison for the merciless beating of a Matanzas High School teacher aide last February, pleaded to the first-degree felony charge today before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins. He will be sentenced in January.
Da’mari Barnes, 17, Pleads Out in Shooting Death of Jamey Bennett, 19; Uncertain Sentence Pending
Da’Mari Barnes, now 17, pleaded guilty today to manslaughter in the shooting death of Jamey Bennett, 19, at a bonfire near Matanzas High School in 2022. The open plea means that when Barnes is sentenced on Jan. 2, the judge will have wide discretion to sentence Barnes either as an adult, with guidelines setting the minimum at 11.5 years in prison and a maximum at 30, or as a youthful offender, to up to six years in prison.
Ex-Employee of Palm Coast Assisted Living Who Defrauded Residents Is Sentenced to Jail and House Arrest
Tina Marie Teixeira, 27, an ex-employee of Market Street, the assisted living facility on Palm Coast Parkway, was sentenced to a year in jail instead of the recommended three and a half years in prison, followed by two years of house arrest and three years on probation on convictions for defrauding several residents or their spouses at the facility last year.
Flagler County Tried to Evict a Tenant at the Airport. Jury Called It Retaliation and a Violation of 1st Amendment.
Flagler County Airport Director Roy Sieger sent Les Abend an eviction notice regarding the hangar Abend had leased for over four years. A two-day trial resulted in a verdict against the county, with a jury finding that the county was retaliating against Abend, a former member of the county’s airport advisory board, for his criticism of Sieger. An eviction case turned into a rare First Amendment case in County Court. Abend will get to keep the hangar.
8 Years in Prison for Connor Anderson, Who ‘Terrorized’ Smiles Bar Patrons in Shooting
Connor Anderson, the 31-year-old man who wrestled with the Smiles Nite Club bartender and others and fired his gun six times inside the bar last November, was sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by five years on probation, after a sentencing hearing where Anderson described himself as disgusted with his act.
Ex-Matanzas Student Brendan Depa Will Plead Out in Teacher-Assault Case, Leaving His Fate to a Judge
Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student who drew global attention and a first-degree felony charge as an adult after a video of his assault on a paraprofessional circulated, will plead out, avoiding a trial. But he will also be taking the risk of a steep sentence.