On Feb. 14, Clerk of Court Tom Bexley will lead a mass marriage ceremony for all willing couples of all denominations and orientations.
Circuit & County Court
A Dubious Arrest, a Compromised Prosecutor, a Tainted Plea: How One Murder Case Exposes A Broken System
One innocent man’s odyssey through the justice system shows why defendants often agree to virtually inescapable plea deals for crimes they didn’t commit.
Found Guilty of Escape Out of Cop’s Car, George Wood Faces Up to 30 Years in Prison And Two More Trials
George Wood III of Palm Coast, 31, a felon now 11 times over, had busted out of a cop car after his arrest on SR100 in January and led police on an air and foot chase.
In 18 Minutes, Jury Finds Paul Dykes Guilty on 24 Counts of Child Sex Crimes, Including Rape
A jury of six women barely deliberated in the case of Palm Coast’s Paul Dykes, 21, found guilty of directing the rape of a 1-year-old girl with an ex-girlfriend, also found guilty in September.
In Paul Dykes Trial, A Shaken Jury Is Subjected to Unrelenting Accounts of Unspeakable Acts
The first full day of trial for Paul Dykes, accused of raping a 1-year-old girl, subjected the jury to a tortuous onslaught of disturbing evidence. At day’s end, Dykes’s accomplice in the alleged rapes appeared.
After Wrenching, Day-Long Process, A Jury Is Impaneled In Child-Rape Trial of Paul Dykes
A jury of six women and one man was chosen from a pool of 50, as potential jurors were excused for a variety of reasons, many of them over the anxieties triggered by the trial’s subject matter.
Death Sentence Commuted to Life For William Gregory, Double-Murderer of Flagler Beach
William Gregory was on Death Row for the 2007 murders of his ex-girlfriend Skyler Dawn Meekings, 17, and her boyfriend of two months, Daniel Arthur Dyer, 22, at a house on John Anderson Highway.
In Latest Complication, Judge Craig Recuses Himself From David Snelgrove Death Row Case
The Supreme Court has ordered a re-sentencing in the case of David Snelgrove, sentenced to die 15 years ago in the double-murders in Palm Coast of an elderly couple.
Defense Will Argue That Bobby Gore Suffered From “Battered Spouse Syndrome” When He Killed His Son
Bobby Gore, 74, shot and killed his son Lucas in Flagler Beach in April and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. To reduce his life sentence, his defense attorney will argue that Lucas had been terrorizing his father to the point of reducing him to the equivalent of a battered spouse.
Paul Miller, Serving Life for Murder of Dana Mulhall in Flagler Beach in 2012, Returning To Court
Now 70, Paul Miller shot and killed his neighbor Dana Mulhall, 52, in a dispute over barking dogs in 2012. Miller is arguing that he did not get a proper defense from his attorney.
Case Against Kimberle Weeks Now Hinges On Judge’s Precedent-Setting Decision on Searches in Electronic Age
Ex-Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorneys argue that the search warrant that produced incriminating evidence against her was an illegal fishing expedition. Without it, the case against Weeks collapses.
Evidence Was Illegally Obtained, But Judge Rules It Admissible In Dykes Child-Sex Case
The defense’s attempt to suppress illegally obtained evidence against Paul Dykes, the Palm Coast man accused of raping a child, fell to an exception to the Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate oneself.
L’Darius Smith, 21, Acquitted of Molesting 2 Step-Sisters; Jury Finds Guilt on Minor Charge
Palm Coast’s L’Darius Smith could have faced 15 years in prison on accusations he molested girls age 8 and 9 but was essentially acquitted.
Accused of Molesting 2 Girls When He Was 15 and 16, a 21-Year-Old Winks and Plays To Camera
Now 21, L’Darius Smith was 15 or 16 when he allegedly molested two girls, 8 and 9, he was living with as siblings in Palm Coast five years ago. He did not act as if he were on trial today.
In Rare Rejection of Plea Deal, Judge Wants Prison For Woman In Molestation Case
Palm Coast’s Maria Howell, accused of molesting a teen, was ready to plead to 10 years’ probation, but Judge Dennis Craig rejected the plea, asking for prison time.
Behind the Man Facing Monstrous Allegations of Incest, A History of Disabilities, But Not Incompetence
The mother of Paul Dykes, who goes on trial on charges of raping his own daughter next month, revealed in court today for the first time the personal history of the 20-year-old Palm Coast resident.
When Flagler’s Judicial System Makes a 10-Year Error In a 40-Year Prison Sentence
William Copeland is serving 40 years for shooting his daughter’s grandfather in Palm Coast in 2011. The court made a 10-year error in one of his sentences.
Paul Dykes Goes On Trial Over Accusations Of Child Rape and 21 Related Counts In November
The trial of the Palm Coast 20-year-old will be the latest chapter in an extensive and lurid case that involves Dykes’s one-time girlfriend, Erin Vickers, 23, whom a jury found guilty a month ago of raping her 1-year-old daughter.
Stanley Wykretowicz Acquitted On Aggravated Child Abuse Charge, May Face Negligence
The 42-year-old Palm Coast resident was looking at up to 30 years in prison had he been found guilty on a charge that he’d brutalized his 2-year-old niece. The defense said the girl was merely ill.
Prosecution Stymied In Ex-Jail Guard’s Trial Over 2-Year-Old Girl’s Alleged Brutalization
Stanley Wykretowicz, 41, was the sole caregiver to his 2-year-old niece when he brought her to Florida Hospital Flagler, comatose and bruised, but his lawyers say she was merely ill, not abused.
Avoiding Death Penalty, Flagler Beach’s Bobby Gore Pleads to Manslaughter in Killing of His Son
Bobby Gore, who shot his son in the back of the head during an argument in April, faces between eight and 15 years in prison, equivalent to a life sentence given his advanced age.
21-Year-Old Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison For Home-Invasion Killing In Palm Coast’s F-Section
Carl Devore was sentenced for the death of his accomplice, who was shot in self-defense by a resident at the house Devore and his accomplice were invading in July 2016.
Erin Vickers, 23, Found Guilty of Raping Her 1-Year-Old Daughter; She Faces Life In Prison
Erin Vickers was found guilty on two of 49 charges she faces in connection with rapes and the production of movies and pictures involving her daughter in sexual acts perpetrated by her mother. The case is not over.
Jury Selected With Unusual Swiftness In Trial of Erin Vickers on Charge of Raping Her Own Child
Erin Vickers, 23, of Palm Coast, is on trial on the first of 49 counts involving accusations of rape, videotaping and transmitting sexual acts involving children.
Owen Parker, 19, Sentenced to 2 Years in Local Jail For Molesting Girl, 12, Near Rymfire Elementary
Owen Parker had followed a 12-year-old girl into a wooded trail where she was biking with her friends, near Rymfire Elementary, when he assaulted her.
For David Snelgrove, Sentenced in Palm Coast Double-Murder in 2000, Execution Again In Question
The Supreme Court threw out David Snelgrove’s death sentence as unconstitutional because twice juries were not unanimous. A re-sentencing’s complicated road began today before Judge Dennis Craig.
Misconduct Charges Mount Against Flagler Judge Scott DuPont, Now Pointing To Courtroom Violations
Seven new charges against Circuit Judge Scott DuPont bring the total to 12 and now point to disturbing allegations of violations against people appearing in court and lawyers.
Christopher Hollinger Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison Over Sex Assault of 2 Teen Girls At Long Creek Preserve
Hollinger was 23 when he got two girls, then 14 and 15, drunk before having sex with them at the Palm Coast nature preserve in March 2016.
As Deadline For Plea Looms, Kimberle Weeks Heads for December Trials On 5 Felony Counts
Former Elections Supervisor Weeks’s attorney filed a second motion to suppress the search warrant that revealed evidence against her, arguing that the remaining counts are fruit of a poisoned tree.
December Trials Set For 2 Flagler Residents Facing Capital Murder Charges
Bobby Earl Gore, 74, is accused of shooting his won execution-style in Flagler Beach, Dorothy Singer is accused of shooting her husband and burying him in the couple’s backyard.
Palm Coast’s Erin Vickers Set For September Trial on Child Rape in 1st of 49 Charges
Erin Vickers, 23, and then-boyfriend Paul Dykes, 20, face a combined 90 charges of raping children as young as 1, and taking and transmitting pictures and video of child porn.
Judge Kim C. Hammond, Legend From Seminole Gridiron to Flagler Courtroom, Dies at 72
Judge Kim C. Hammond was appointed to the bench by Gov. Bob Graham in 1979 and spent his entire judicial in Flagler County, where the county courthouse now bears his name.
A Rape Allegation at Heart of Divorce Between Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland And Sheriff’s Ex-Chief Deputy
Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland in court filings alleges ex-Flagler Sheriff Chief Deputy David O’Brien repeatedly raped her while she was unconscious in 2013, shortly before their separation.
Lawyer For Phillip Haire, Accused of Shooting at Cop and Parents, Suggests Mental Incompetence
Phillip Haire Jr., 19, faces 10 charges, including attempted murder charges, in a May 2 shooting on Palm Coast’s London Drive. His lawyer revealed Haire is not being cooperative with his own defense.
Raul Zambrano, Redoubtable Alumni of Flagler Bench, Will Be 7th Circuit’s Chief Judge
Feared and respected, and a former felony court judge in Flagler, Circuit Judge Raul Zambrano was elected Chief Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit, which includes Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns and Volusia counties.
Brandon Hubbert Acquitted of Armed Robbery at Palm Coast Staples as Evidence Falters
A jury took barely 20 minutes to acquit Brandon J. Hubbert of Bunnell, who’d faced between 10 years and life in prison had he been found guilty of a 2015 armed robbery at Staples off Old Kings Road.
In Rare Joint Appearance, Flagler’s 3 Judges Speak Candidly About the Job’s Challenges On and Off Bench
Circuit Court judges Dennis Craig and R. Lee Smith and County Court Melissa Moore-Stens spoke of personal and professional challenges and addressed the Flagler bench’s workload.
Ex-Elections Supervisor Kim Weeks Rejects Plea Deal as Lawyer, Her 4th, Sets for Trial
The deal would have spared Kimberle Weeks prison on felony charges that she illegally recorded conversations, but would have meant probation, according to Kevin Kulik, her latest lawyer.
Scott Vetoes Money for Flagler’s 2nd County Judge, Bunnell Bypass, Flagler Beach Sewers
The more than $300 million in vetoes are to make up for money restored to Visit Florida, economic development, and a bump in per-student funding.
James Taylor Is Sentenced to Life In Prison on Molestation Charge; Appeal Immediately Filed
Attorneys for James Taylor, 39, of Palm Coast and Gainesville, said his trial was unfair and prejudicial in several regards, and the act itself no evidence of molestation.
European Village Shooter Facing Up to 35 Years in Prison Is Termed an “American Hero” and Gets 7 Years’ Probation
Daniel Noble fired two shots from an assault rifle at European Village before being wrestled to the ground by three men in December 2014. His attorney pointed to his Iraq War service for leniency.
For Overworked County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens, $150,000 Worth of Help May Be Coming
Flagler County is not getting an additional county judge, but the money appropriated will pay for the equivalent of 428 days of service by retired judges brought back on a per-day basis to handle cases.
Flagler Grand Jury Indictments: Gore and Singer May Face Death Penalty, Haire Life in Prison
Dorothy Singer, accused of killing her husband, and Bobby Gore, accused of killing his son, may face the death penalty, and Phillip Haire, accused of shooting at a cop and his parents, may never see freedom again, if convicted.
Supreme Court Orders New Sentencing of Palm Coast Double-Murderer on Death Row
David Snelgrove has twice been sentenced to death for the murders of Glyn Fowler, 84, and his wife, Vivian, 79, on Bannbury Lane in Palm Coast in late June 2000, but never unanimously.
Decriminalized Pot-Possession Program Will Advance in Flagler, But With Little Support From Sheriff
The proposal to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot possession in Flagler County has been in limbo for almost a year after a key judicial and law enforcement panel approved it last year, before the election.
Curt and Impassive in Appearance Before Judge, Dorothy Singer Is Held Without Bond in Murder Case
Dorothy Singer, 52, accused of shooting dead her husband, will be represented by Public Defender Ray Warren, a seasoned murder-trial lawyer who has represented recent high-profile Flagler defendants.
Life in Prison for Palm Coast Man as Jury Finds Him Guilty of Molesting 11-Year-Old
A two-second feel over the clothes of an 11-year-old in a Palm Coast home by her guardian four years ago will result in a life sentence for James Taylor, a previously convicted sex offender.
At Man’s Trial, Weighing the Line Between A Parent’s Touch and Outright Molestation
Defense attorneys for James A. Taylor, the man on trial for allegedly molesting his ex’s 11-year-old daughter in Palm Coast, effectively plundered his accuser’s and her sisters’ credibility in four hours of testimony today.
James Taylor Trial: A History of Violence and Rapes of Women and Children, But Jury Won’t Hear It
The single charge of molestation James A. Taylor faces as he went on trial in Flagler County today is deceptive: the sex offender has a history of brutality, rapes and assaults involving women and children, but it’s all off limits.
Joseph Bova, Accused Killer of Store Clerk, Again Declared Incompetent In Threatening Court Appearance
Joseph Bova, accused killer of store clerk Zuheili Roman Rosado in Palm Coast in 2013, threatened that the judge and four others would die in “seconds” during an appearance before Judge Craig this afternoon.