State Attorney Jason Lewis had aggressively prosecuted Kimberle Weeks as a crude, arrogant official who had abused her position and flouted the law, insulting other people in office while ironically casting herself as an anti-corruption crusader.
Circuit & County Court
Flagler Circuit’s Chief Judge Issues Order With Potentially Extraordinary Measures as Florida Covid-19 Cases Double in 2 Days to 319
The court system’s new restrictions reveal the potential for extraordinary, court-ordered measures in answer to the coronavirus emergency, pointing to the sort of unprecedented role the courts and law enforcement may be taking on in the weeks and months ahead.
Schools Closed Through March 30, Jury Trials at Flagler Courthouse Suspended as Coronavirus Fallout Continues
All jury trials have been suspended at the Flagler County courthouse through March 30, and all public schools in the state have been ordered to remain closed through March 30 as well.
In Stunning Reversal, Florida Supreme Court Rules Juvenile Prison Sentences May Exceed 20 Years
The 4-1 decision stunned public defenders, who expressed concern not only about its implications for juvenile sentencing but also about a reshaped court emboldened to revisit issues the legal community had considered settled.
Judge Sets Stern Ground Rules Ahead of Keith Johansen Murder Trial in Shooting Death of Brandi Celenza
The trial judge admonished the families of both Brandi Celenza and Keith Johansen after a hearing where he’d ruled on admitting or limiting variously disturbing evidence-and prohibiting prejudicial courtroom antics in the gallery.
Jury Doesn’t Buy “Outlandish” Conspiracy Theory and Convicts 54 Year Old Mondex Man of Sex With Minor
Tonda Royal was 52 when a 16-year-old Mondex girl accused him of raping her. He claimed the only way his DNA was in her is because another woman took his used condom and handed it to her to implicate him.
Charged With Statutory Rape, Man’s Defense Invokes Racial Allusions and Lies, But DNA Says Otherwise
Tonda Royal, 53, is on trial this week on an accusation of unlawful sex with a 16-year-old girl in the Mondex. Despite uncontested DNA evidence, the defense claims the girl is lying and was part of a plot to damage Royal’s reputation.
One Side Says Defamation. The Other Says Intimidation. The Gardens Development Spins-Off a Lawsuit.
Ken Bryan, a candidate for Flagler Beach City Commission and a board member of the group opposed to The Gardens development, was sued by the developer’s parent company. Bryan’s attorney charges the suit has no merit and says there may be a counter-suit.
This Time Death Row Inmate Cornelius Baker Shows Up, Only To Learn His Chance for Re-Sentencing May Vanish
Death row inmate Cornelius Baker’s fate is undetermined as the judge, the defense and the prosecution are all awaiting direction from other courts as to whether to re-try Baker in a sentencing phase or stick to his original death sentence.
Girl Who Threatened to Kill FPC Teacher in Racist Screed Gets Probation, and Must Write Essay on Hate Speech
The 17-year-old former Flagler Palm Coast High School girl last December was found guilty of terrorist threats to kill her English teacher through racist-laced electronic messages with another student in December 2018.