Graduating in a ceremony at the Flagler County Courthouse Friday, drug court participants–most had suffered of prescription-drug abuse–spoke of lives changed by the demanding program, which keeps two-thirds of participants from re-offending.
Circuit & County Court
This Time Palm Coast Shows Up in Court, But Source of Red-Light Camera Hitch Unresolved
Hundreds of red-light camera tickets issued by ATS, the private company running Palm Coast’s red-light camera system, end up undelivered, triggering court-issued citations and, often, suspended licenses, even though it’s neither the driver’s nor the city of Palm Coast’s fault–but rather ATS’s inability or unwillingness to better follow through on undelivered mail.
For 2nd Time in 6 Weeks, a Flagler Judge Declares Palm Coast’s Red-Light Camera System “Improper” and Issues Stern Order
After a hearing on red-light camera citations where Palm Coast was, inappropriately, a no-show, Flagler County Judge Melissa Moore-Stens on Wednesday ordered the city to show why it was circumventing the court’s authority by telling drivers they could settle their camera citations by directly paying the city rather than follow legally required steps–and pay fines–through the court system.
Grand Jury Declines to Indict Ex-Flagler Beach Cop Bobby MacDonald Over Wife’s Gunshot Wound, But Case May Remain Open for Years
A Flagler County grand jury found no probable cause to go forward with an indictment against Robert “Bobby” MacDonald, who brought his wife Kathy bleeding from the head, from a gunshot wound, to an ambulance in July 2012 in western Flagler County.
Judge Refuses to Revoke $400,000 Bond on European Village’s Would-Be Shooter; Bova Behaves
Daniel Noble, accused of attempted murder in the March 15 European Village incident, was in court today, as were the men who disarmed him, as prosecutor tried unsuccessfully to revoke his bond. Joseph Bova, the accused murderer of Mobil Mart store clerk Zuheily Rosado, was also in court, subdued this time, and is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in May.
Judge Craig Indicts Palm Coast’s “Bad Faith” Red-Light Cameras and Exposes City’s Legal Flaws as He Contests Violation
In a half-hour hearing before Palm Coast’s red-light violations officer, Flagler Circuit Judge Dennis Craig on Thursday ridiculed the city’s guilty-until-proven-innocent standard as well as the council’s claim that cameras are intended to improve safety. The city dismissed his citation not on the grounds he raised, but by inventing a case of “prudent” driving that the evidence did not show.
Anthony Fregenti, Palm Coast Ponzi Schemer, Is Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
Anthony Fregenti, 42, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by twenty years’ probation and ordered to pay restitution of $3 million dollars to his victims. The Palm Coast man must pay $100,000 a year once he is released from prison and on probation.
Judge J. Michael Traynor’s Alarming Equivalence Between an Attempted Murderer and His Victim
When Judge J. Michael Traynor sentenced Nathaniel Juratovac to four years in prison for the attempted murder of Flagler County firefighter Jared Parkey last week, the judge managed to blame both men for the violent incident that led them to the courtroom, a stunning and immoral leveling of blame in a state that too easily excuses gun violence.
Ex-Flagler Beach Cop Juratovac Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison in Attempted Murder of Flagler Firefighter
Nathaniel Juratovac, the 41-year-old ex-Flagler Beach cop who twice shot an unarmed Flagler County firefighter in what was then termed a road-rage incident by the side of U.S. 1 was sentenced this afternoon to 51 months in prison in a plea agreement. Had he been convicted at trial, he could have faced up to 25 years in prison on the attempted murder charge.
Six Gay Couples and Equality Florida File Lawsuit in State Court Seeking Freedom to Marry
The lawsuit argues that Florida’s laws barring same-sex couples from marriage violate the United States Constitution by denying them the legal protections and equal dignity that having the freedom to marry provides.