The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested three Flagler Palm Coast High School students this week following separate investigations, two for drug-related charges and a third for threatening another student with a knife.
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With Felony Charge Dropped and IA Closed, Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Coma Accepts Discipline for Speeding
Flagler County Sheriff’s Detective Ardit Coma has been reinstated following the swift dismissal of a fleeing and eluding charge by the State Attorney’s Office. An expedited internal investigation concluded Coma violated agency policies by speeding 88 mph in a 55 mph zone while commuting. His penalty includes a 90-day loss of his take-home vehicle privilege and a two-day unpaid suspension, which is considered satisfied by the time he served immediately following his arrest.
Ormond Beach Police Chief Defends Arrest of Flagler Sheriff’s Detective After Charge Was Quickly Dropped
Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey defended his officer’s arrest of Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Ardit Coma for fleeing and eluding, despite the State Attorney dropping the charge days later. Godfrey stated the dismissal reflects prosecutorial discretion, not officer error, and insisted Sgt. Caleb Braun acted properly based on probable cause. Coma, who was speeding to work, claimed he thought he was assisting a pursuit. He still faces a speeding ticket and internal investigation.
Jury Finds Ex-Flagler Paramedic Melady Guilty of Rape of Unconscious Woman in Ambulance
A jury of four women and two men today found Melady, a paramedic with Flagler County Fire Rescue from 2018 to 2024, guilty of rape of an unconscious woman he was responsible for in the back of an ambulance three years ago. The jury acquitted Melady of video voyeurism. He had recorded the incident, moving the camera a few times for better views of the woman’s privates, and preserved the video on his laptop. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced early next year.
Flagler Detective Coma Rapidly Cleared of Fleeing Charge After Speeding Incident; Still Faces Ticket and Internal Investigation
The State Attorney’s Office has dropped the felony fleeing and eluding charge against Flagler County Sheriff’s Detective Ardit Coma. Arrested for speeding 88 mph in a 55 zone, Coma claimed he didn’t see police lights due to loud music and sun glare, believing he was stopping to assist officers deploying stop sticks. Reinstatement is underway, but Coma still faces a speeding citation and an internal affairs investigation regarding departmental policy violations.
Florida’s New Reporting System Is Shining a Light on Human Trafficking
The criminologists who research human trafficking and founded the University of South Florida’s Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Lab, known as the TIP lab, study human trafficking in Florida. Labor and sex trafficking hide in plain sight, embedded in ordinary settings such as hotels, restaurants, farms, massage businesses and private homes. Most victims are trafficked by someone they know or trust – a family member, intimate partner or employer. Many continue to go to school or work while being exploited.
Florida Will Help Homeland Security Obtain Your Driver’s License Records
Florida and three other Republican states have agreed to help the Trump administration gain access to state driver’s license data through a nationwide law enforcement computer network as part of the administration’s hunt for alleged noncitizen voters. The Trump administration said as recently as October that federal officials wanted to obtain driver’s license records through the network.
Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Ardit Coma Arrested on Charge of Fleeing and Eluding Ormond Beach Police
Ardit Coma, a 28-year-old detective with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, was arrested by Ormond Beach police early this morning on a felony charge of fleeing and eluding law enforcement. The incident took place a little before 8 a.m. on U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, as Coma was driving to work in Bunnell in his gray Taurus. He has been suspended without pay, pending the disposition of the case.
A Year and A Half Investigation of Drive-By Shooting Leads to Arrest, and Almost Immediate Release
Traycan Verdell, 27, accused of a drive-by shooting into an occupied house in Bunnell in June 2024, was arrested on a Flagler County warrant in Daytona Beach last week, but was almost immediately released after posting bond, and after Bunnell police spent a year and a half investigating the shooting.
Fire Destroys Flagler Beach Home on Ocean Palm Drive Just as Young Family Was Completing Renovations
An early-morning fire destroyed a single-family house on Ocean Palm Drive in Flagler Beach today. The house was not occupied, as it was under renovation. There were no injuries, despite a partial roof collapse while firefighters were inside fighting the flames. The fire took place at 222 Ocean Palm Drive. Laura Tornelli took ownership of the house in late March from a close relative, long-time owner and resident Walter Kunz. The renovation was nearly complete, and Tornelli’s young family was planning to move in next month, Flagler Beach Fire Chief Stephen Cox said.
Home Health Care Nurse Who Brutalized Disabled Man Is Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison and Faces Civil Suit
John Roy Jenkins, a 69-year-old former home healthcare nurse arrested in February on accusations that he repeatedly brutalized a disabled and voiceless client in Palm Coast, was sentenced to seven years in prison on Monday following an open plea before Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols at the Flagler County courthouse. Jenkins and the company he worked for, Maxim Healthcare Services of Daytona Beach, also face a civil lawsuit charging negligence and seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
16-Year-Old Arrested for Armed Robbery and Pistol-Whipping in Palm Coast’s P-Section
Dakoda Nodelman, a 16-year-old Palm Coast resident of Pitt Lane, is facing three felony charges, including armed robbery, following an incident at his home shortly after midnight on Nov. 16. He fired during the incident. No one was injured from the gunshot, but another individual sustained injuries from being pistol-whipped.
2 Wounded in Shooting at Palm Coast’s Beach Village Apartments, Both Claim Stand Your Ground
A 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old juvenile injured in a shooting Sunday night at Beach Village Apartments in Palm Coast both claim Stand Your Ground, according to Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. The shooting stemmed from an earlier confrontation between the 22-year-old and his girlfriend. Both the man and the juvenile suffered non-life-threatening wounds in the shooting. Two firearms were recovered. It is not yet clear whether both firearms were discharged, or whether the wounds resulted from a single gun.
Charles ‘Skeeter’ Cowart Back in Jail for 1st Time in 7 Years After Axe-Wielding Rampage at His Apartment
Charles Larkin Cowart, the 42-year-old West Flagler resident known as Skeeter, spent a decade and a half until 2018 in and out of jail, often resulting from bizarre behavior. Last Wednesday, Cowart was back in jail facing three felony charges, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, after allegedly splitting with an axe the door to his apartment where a teenage boy–his wife’s son–was staying, and allegedly nearly striking another man with his car. But the arrest report by Bunnell police may be problematic.
Leigha Mumby Rearrested on Vehicular Homicide Charge in Death of Daniel Waterman, and Released on $150,000 Bond
Leigha Mumby, the 24-year-old Flagler Beach woman accused of causing the death of her boyfriend and father of her child, Daniel Waterman, in a car crash last February, turned herself in at the Flagler County jail the afternoon of Oct. 29, after a warrant was issued for her rearrest.
Sheriff Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide of Elderly Couple in Palm Coast’s P-Section
Authorities on Wednesday found Julio Alonso, 85, and Martha Alonso, 74, dead of gunshots in an apparent murder-suicide at the house they’d lived in for 37 ears at 16 Pinelynn Lane in Palm Coast.
Palm Coast Resident and Army Recruit Indicted On Sex Abuse Charges From When He Was 13
A Flagler County Grand Jury on Nov. 7 indicted 22-year-old Giovanni Gabriel Curtis, a Palm Coast resident and U.S. Army recruit, on a life felony rape charge involving a child younger than 12, when Curtis was himself 13. He also faces a molestation charge. He has confessed profusely to his mother, to a detective and to his victims, to whom he has also proffered unbidden apologies and regret.
Sailboat Runs Aground in Flagler Beach, Close to Pier’s Construction Zone
A 30-foot sailboat from Hilton Head, S.C., ran aground just north of the Flagler Beach pier shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday. A crew of two-a man and a woman in their late 30s, early 40s–were aboard the boat. Neither was injured. But the boat’s keel has been damaged, making the boat inoperable.
Nicholas Alo, Who Served Prison in Notorious Flagler Beach Case, Is Re-Sentenced to Probation After Violation
Nicholas Alo, the 24-year-old Palm Coast resident sentenced to two years in prison in late 2023 for his role in a violent assault on a teen in Flagler Beach, was rearrested on a probation violation and today sentenced to a restoration of his three-year probation term.
Man Who Stole Coquina Rocks from Tuscany Subdivision Hawks Them on Facebook, Tipping Off Victim and Cops
Thomas Cameron Dupree, 37, was arrested on three felony charges after allegedly stealing numerous coquina rocks from a construction site at the Tuscany subdivision in Palm Coast then posting several pictures of the rocks on Facebook to sell them, tipping off his victim, who arranged a “buy.” Dupree was arrested in a sting operation.
Parents Each Charged 4 Days Apart With Felony Child Abuse Involving Same Autistic Teen Son
Jason Joseph Reed, 42, of Raeland Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on Oct, 21 and charged with felony child abuse following an incident captured on internal video and involving his autistic teenage stepson. Four days later, Jason’s wife Janet Lynn Reed, 41, was arrested on an identical charge following a different incident with her son, who will be referred to here as Tom (a pseudonym). Tom was taken to the hospital after the second incident.
Leigha Mumby, 24, Now Faces Vehicular Homicide Charge in Crash Death of Boyfriend Daniel Waterman
Prosecutors this morning filed a vehicular homicide charge against 24-year-old Leigha Catherine Mumby in addition to the two previous felony charges Mumby has faced since July. The new charge is the result of the death of Daniel Waterman, 22, earlier this month, eight months after he was critically injured in a car crash on I-95 in Palm Coast, as Mumby drove. An FHP investigation determined Mumby intentionally caused the crash when she was upset with her boyfriend.
At His Memorial, Sheriff’s K9 Kyro ‘Nubs’ Is Remembered for His Fierce Loyalty and Love of Challenges
First Baptist Church of Bunnell was the site of two funerals for law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021. Today, the church was against the site of a memorial for a fallen officer. For the first time in Flagler County’s history, it was for a K9, a police dog, the first to lose his life in the line of duty: K9 Kyro, nicknamed “nubs” for the tail that had to be amputated from his tendency to be overexcited, died from an undetected heart ailment on Oct. 14.
Critical After February Crash, Daniel Waterman, 22, Died on Oct. 8. His Pregnant Girlfriend Is Accused of Causing the Crash.
Last Super Bowl Sunday, the day Leigha Mumby, 24, discovered she was pregnant by her boyfriend, Daniel M. Waterman, 22, Mumby drove her Honda into a tree on I-95 in Palm Coast, seriously injuring herself and critically injuring Waterman, who was hospitalized since and who died on Oct. 8. Mumby was charged with a second-degree felony when an FHP investigation determined she had intentionally caused the crash. The charge may be aggravated, now that Waterman has died. His family is seeking custody of the child.
Jermaine Williams Loses Two Dozen Motions Contesting His Death-Penalty Trial for Killing of Wife Yolonda
Jermaine Williams Sr, 53, is to be tried early next year for the stabbing death of his wife Yolonda Williams in the couple’s driveway in Bunnell 14 months ago. The defense team today argued 26 motions, lost 25, many of them arguing the constitutionality of the death penalty or death penalty trial procedures such as victim impact statements, or even whether Williams should wear restraints at his trial. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols said the challenges were to settled law.
75-Year-Old Retired Cop Shoots Himself in the Leg During Training Hosted by Flagler Sheriff’s Office
Charles Dee Rowsell, a 75-year-old Palm Coast resident and retired law enforcement officer, was participating in a firearms qualification course hosted by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office when he shot himself in the leg while holstering his gun this afternoon, according to a sheriff’s report. He was airlifted to Halifax hospital. The incident took place shortly after noon the Flagler Gun and Archery Club on County Road 90, which also hosts the sheriff’s gun range.
FBI Was in Mondex Today Investigating Sheriff’s Deputy’s Property Involved in Accidental AR-15 Shooting of Boy
The FBI joined Flagler County Sheriff’s investigators today at the Daytona North property of a sheriff’s deputy at the center of a shooting that injured an 11-year-old boy on a neighboring property the evening of Aug. 27. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Bryan “Scotty” Jackson and his daughter, a new recruit with the agency, were target-shooting in the backyard with an AR-15 that the new recruit had just received from the agency when a bullet Jackson says he fired traveled halfway up the block to the property at 1288 Hazelnut Street and struck the boy, who was in his room.
Palm Coast Man Neglects to Take Infant Daughter to Hospital After She Ingested Edibles, Attending Football Game Instead
Kajuan Arthur Harris, a 29-year-old resident of Wheatfield Drive in Palm Coast, faces a charge of child neglect with great bodily harm, a second-degree felony, following the second hospitalization of his 5-year-old autistic daughter after she ingested a large quantity of marijuana edibles while she was in Harris’s care. He refused to take the child to the hospital, going to a football game instead and urging the child’s mother to let the child “sleep it off.”
Jorge Salinas, Flagler County’s Steadying Deputy Administrator Since 2020, and His Wife, Are Killed in Crash
Jorge Salinas, Flagler County’s deputy administrator since 2020, a steadying voice of the county administration and one of the more beloved people at the Government Services Building, was killed late Sunday night in a four-vehicle hit-and-run car crash on I-4, as was his wife and an unrelated motorcyclist.
Bunnell Maid on Probation for Theft Accused of Defrauding and Stealing from Clients in C-Section
Kayla Conner, 38, of Bunnell, was on probation for a 2024 conviction for felony theft when she was arrested again last week on accusations that, as a housekeeper, she defrauded her employer of $776 for cash, or to pay her wireless fees, or to pay for pet supplies, and stole a Pandora bracelet worth up to $800, and pawned off numerous jewelry items for cash.
12-Year-Old Indian Trails Middle School Boy Arrested on Felony Charge After Threatening to Stab a Student
On September 15, it was an 11-year-old boy at Rymfire Elementary. On Sept. 25, it was a 12-year-old at Indian Trails Middle School: same method–threats made in a group chat away from school, images of weaponry sent to make the point–same result: an arrest and a felony charge. The two boys had been arguing in the chat that afternoon. Then NG sent the picture of a box of 15 knives and a brass knuckle and made threatening statements
Ex-Flagler County Paramedic Facing Rape Charge Claims Penetrating Patient Was ‘Medically Necessary’
James Melady, the former Flagler County Fire Rescue paramedic facing a rape charge involving an unconscious patient in his care during an ambulance ride, claimed today through his attorney that what he was doing to the patient was medically necessary, and therefore not actionable under Florida law. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols was skeptical, and pressed him to seek a plea or potentially face up to life in prison.
Man, 76, Killed in Head-On Crash Going Wrong Way on U.S. 1, 3rd Local Road Death in 4 Days
A 76-year-old man lost his life late Tuesday night (Sept. 23) in a head-on collision on U.S. 1 south of Seminole Woods in Palm Coast. He is the third person killed in a crash on Flagler County roads in the last four days.
18-Year-Old Motorcyclist Dies on SR100 After Deer Strike Throws Him Off the Bike, and a Car Hits Him
An 18-year-old Palm Coast motorcyclist was killed Monday night after he was thrown from his Motorcycle in a collision with a deer, then was run over by a car on State Road 100 just west of Belle Terre Parkway.
71-Year-Old Woman Dies, 61-Year-Old Man Injured in Head-On Collision on SR11 South of Cody’s Corner
A 71-year-old South Daytona woman lost her life in a head-on collision Saturday morning on State Road 11, south of County Road 304–also known as Cody’s Corner–in Flagler County. According to the Florida Highway Patrol and Flagler County 911’s dispatch notes, the woman was driving an SUV north on 11 when she “failed to maintain her lane” and swerved into the oncoming lane.
Man Fleeing Deputies Charged with Murder for Death of Woman in Collision; Sheriff Staly Vows Full Review of Chase
Stevens Brian Charles, 40, faces a second-degree murder charge, among at least 10 felony charges, in the death of a 71-year-old Ormond Beach woman Tuesday in a head-on crash on an I-95 exit on which Charles was intentionally driving the wrong way, fleeing from Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies. Sheriff Rick Staly has ordered a top-to-bottom review of the entire incident, the agency’s chase policy, and whether all procedures were followed.
Rymfire Elementary Student, 11, Arrested After Threatening to Bring “Guns” to School in Response to Bullying
GN, an 11-year-old Rymfire Elementary student who was apparently being bullied in chats, faces a second-degree felony charge of sending written threats of a shooting after sending the “picture of a gun to a group chat with other students” and the message, “See you at school tomorrow bye,” according to his arrest report.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Solves West-Side Burglary Spree, Arresting 3 Teens from Suwanee County
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office this afternoon announced the arrest of three Live Oak teens on armed burglary charges stemming from a series of car break-ins and burglaries on Flagler County’s west side in late August, when the men got away with several firearms, some cash and a few credit cards. Two of the three men are in Georgia, the third in Suwanee County. All three were served Flagler County arrest warrants.
Man, 68, Accused of Wielding Knife and Chasing 2 Juveniles and 18-Year-Old at Palm Coast Walmart
Thomas Edward Ohl, a 68-year-old resident of Wellington Drive in Palm Coast, faces four felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and child abuse following an incident Saturday night at Walmart, where he allegedly chased two juveniles and an 18-year-old with a knife picked out of a shelf, after he said they’d made fun of his disability.
Spree of Break-Ins Target Vehicles at Multiple Properties on Flagler County’s West Side
The Flagler County Sheriff is investigating a series of burglaries and break-ins that took place the night of Aug. 28 to 29 on the west side of Flagler County, targeting vehicles at multiple properties in an area of the county rarely associated with such crime sprees. Two firearms and wallets were among the items reported stolen. The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the addresses. The thefts took place in the area of County Road 305, County Road 302, County Road 15, and State Road 100, targeting properties on those roads and smaller roads in between.
Woman Described in Court Last Week as ‘a Really Bad Influence’ Is Arrested on 5 Felonies, Including Child Abuse
Cherie Ford, 44, was re-arrested months after being sentenced to probation on a charge of battering a cop, this time on five felony charges, including a second-degree felony charge of child neglect causing great harm and a third-degree felony charge of child abuse. The arrest was a probation violation, so she faces a felony count for that as well, and two felony battery counts–felonies, because they are her third cuch charge following convictions on similar charges.
Ex-School Employee Kermit Booth Extradited to Flagler to Face Charges of of Sexually Assaulting Neighbor Until She Was 9
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly on Friday flew to North Carolina to personally bring back Kermit Booth–the former Palm Coast resident facing two capital felony charges for the sexual assault of a child–extradited from North Carolina, where he’d been held after his second arrest on the same charges.
Armed Burglar Wrecks Sharps Liquors in Flagler Plaza After Being Denied Drinks, and Faces Life Felonies
A 38-year-old man whose recorded behavior at the time of his arrest suggests questionable mental competence is at the Flagler County jail on 12 felony charges, two of them punishable by life in prison, following an alleged armed burglary and a trashing rampage through Sharps Discount Liquors in Palm Coast. He is being held on $236,000 bond. The trashing left the area behind the counter entirely covered in broken bottles shoved off the shelves, along with a whole other segment of the store where the man had systematically upended, broken or wrecked everything in his way.
Palm Coast Man Arrested Under New “Super Speeder Law” for Going 90 in a 35 Near Varn Park
A 50-year-old Palm Coast resident was arrested and booked at the Flagler County jail on a speeding charge–going over 50 miles per hour above the posted speed limit. The driver was going 90 in a 35 near Varn Park on State Road A1A, north of Beverly Beach. He faces up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine or both if convicted on the second-degree misdemeanor. He is also required to appear at a hearing under the state’s new “Super Speeder Law,” which went into effect on July 1.
Noah Urban, 20, Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison Over Defrauding at Least 59 Victims of $13 Million in Crypto Scam
Noah Michael Urban, the 20-year-old Palm Coast resident charged last year with 14 federal counts of cryptocurrency, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years on probation. He had faced up to 22 years in prison. In the cases covered by the investigation, Urban had used the name, credentials, and email accounts of at least 59 victims to take money from their cryptocurrency accounts and transfer it to his account. The victims lost at least $13 million between August 2022 and March 2023. All the crimes were committed while he lived in Palm Coast.
60 Days in Jail and 2 Years on probation for Man Who Battered 3 Sheriff’s Deputies
Adam Ford, a 48-year-old former resident of Beacon Mill Lane in Palm Coast, was sentenced to 60 days in jail followed by two years on probation from an incident last year when, drunk, belligerent and resistant, Ford battered three Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies after his then-wife had told 911 she was hiding in a closet, then hung up.
Rifle Bullet From Flagler County Sheriff’s Deputies’ Target-Shooting in Mondex Strikes 11-Year-Old Boy
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating what appears to be the accidental shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Daytona North by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Bryan Jackson or another deputy–his daughter–both of whom had been target-shooting on Jackson’s property nearby. The boy suffered a burn, but was not seriously hurt.
23-Year-Old Man Facing 15 Charges, Including Carjacking, Following 140 MPH Chase and Crash at SR100
Malachi Rogers, 23, is at the Flagler County jail facing 15 criminal charges, six of them felonies, one of them a first-degree felony charge of carjacking, and another a second-degree felony charge of fleeing police with wanton disregard for others’ safety, stemming from an incident that unfolded Sunday morning on I-95 and at the intersection with State Road 100 in Palm Coast.
Fendrick Gabaud, 40, Would-Be Firefighter for Flagler County Fire Rescue Dies During Physical Test at Bunnell Training Tower
Fendrick Gabaud of Ormond Beach, 40, who was being assessed for recruitment as a Flagler County Fire Rescue firefighter, died this morning at the John R. Keppler Jr. Fire Training Center on Justice Lane in Bunnell. Gabaud was part of a group of seven recruits who were going through a standard physical agility test at 10 this morning. The Bunnell Police Department is investigating.
Palm Coast Man Involved in Fake Warrant Extortion Scheme Arrested
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man involved in an arrest warrant scam — a common scheme in which scammers pose as members of law enforcement agencies.
