Since Oct. 1 it has been illegal for the homeless to camp out or sleep on public grounds in Florida. The law authorizes counties to designate a local government property for use as a public camping or sleeping space for homeless individuals for up to a year–essentially, a safe, regulated space. On Monday, the Flagler County Commission approved on second reading an ordinance that ratifies the state law, but without designating a safe space for overnight stays, though such de-facto campgrounds are well known to local authorities.
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Car-Crash Death of Debra Ashrafi: 3 Years in Prison, 10 Years Probation, Lifetime Driving Ban for John Garrison
John Garrison was facing a minimum-mandatory nine-year sentence if he was found guilty of causing the crash that ended the life of 59-year-old Debra Ashrafi in a head-on collision on State Road 11 in Bunnell in 2022. In a significant reduction, he pleaded in exchange for a maximum sentence of three years in prison and 10 years on probation. The plea terms include a permanent revocation of Garrison’s driver’s license and driving privileges.
Ten Years in Prison for Palm Coast Man Who’d Filmed His Own Rape of Unconscious Girlfriend
Lloyd Allen Parrish, a 62-year-old resident of Radcliffe Drive in Palm Coast, is being held without bond at the Flagler County jail on a first-degree felony rape charge and a lesser charge of video voyeurism after his girlfriend of 17 years saw him on video sexually assaulting her while she was unconscious.
Daniel Rodriguez, 27, Rejects Plea, Opting for Trial and Risk of Life in Prison in Molestation of Young Boy
Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols tried in several different ways and in the gentlest, most realistic and objective terms to impress on Daniel Rodriguez that the evidence against him is overwhelming, that perhaps a trial was not the best choice he could make. Rodriguez, who’d refused to be brought to court (he “wasn’t feeling well”) and spoke to the judge through a video connection, wouldn’t budge. He wants a trial on charges of raping and molesting a minor.
81-Year-Old Man Killed in Car Collision on Royal Palms and U.S. 1 Was 5th Pedestrian Killed This Year in Flagler
An 81-year-old Palm Coast resident on foot was killed in a collision with a car as he was crossing the road at U.S. 1 and Royal Palms Parkway early Saturday morning. The 20-year-old Daytona Beach man driving the car suffered minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The victim is the fifth pedestrian killed on Flagler County roads so far this year, representing a third of all road fatalities.
A Different Kind of Road Rage: Man Accused of Threatening Work Crew with Machete
Miguel Angel Rodriguez, a 43-year-old resident of Seminole Woods in Palm Coast, faces a felony assault charge after allegedly confronting a work crew while brandishing a machete. He’d been upset about a delay on Belle Terre Boulevard.
54-Year-Old Palm Coast Man Wanted in Flagler Beach Shooting Found Dead of Apparent Self-Inflicted Gunshot
Yairton Garcia, the 54-year-old Palm Coast and Daytona Beach resident suspected by Flagler Beach police of shooting and wounding a man in Flagler Beach in the early morning of Oct. 5, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at a Lake Charles house in Palm Coast on Wednesday after Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies had surrounded the house and sent in a robot to investigate Garcia’s whereabouts.
Contracted Jail Guard Roberto Martinez of Palm Coast Accused of Pulling Gun on Fiancée
Roberto Martinez, a 34-year-old resident of Bannerwood Lane in Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge after allegedly intimidating his fiancée with a gun during an argument, and quickly changing into his guard uniform before police showed up, as if to gain favor with deputies.
On an Unsettled Day, Judge Dawn Nichols Brings Order to Court as She Begins Post-Perkins Tenure
A week after Terence Perkins’s retirement, Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols walked into court at 1:35 this afternoon, wished the lawyers, a half dozen inmates inmates and a dozen people in the gallery a good afternoon, and got to work with pleas, a couple of sentencing hearings, bond and status hearings with workmanlike cheer and speed just shy of breathless.
Flagler Beach Police Investigating ‘Suspicious’ Shooting of a Palm Coast Man on A1A
The Flagler Beach Police Department and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office are investigating what they are terming the “suspicious” shooting of a Palm Coast man on State Road A1A early this morning. The man survived and was taken to Halifax hospital in Daytona Beach.
Palm Coast Fire Department Mourns Loss of Former Colleague Zachary Shane Mahaney, 43, to Suicide
The Palm Coast Fire Department is mourning the loss of Zachary Shane Mahaney, a 43-year-old former firefighter who spent a year with the department until last June. He died by a self-inflicted gunshot on Sept. 25 or 26 in Ormond Beach after going missing from his parents’ home on Sept. 25.
33-Year-Old Man With Mental Health Issues Again Arrested After Crash with Injuries and 5 MPH Chase on U.S. 1
Kyle McNary, a 33-year-old Palm Coast resident Baker Acted and arrested after a severe mental health breakdown in late August was again arrested on numerous charges after allegedly attacking his step-father and causing a severe vehicle crash on U.S. 1, after which he led police on a crawl of a chase at 5 miles per hour on the highway.
Road Rage Incident on U.S. 1 Involving a Gun Results in 2 Felony Charges for 68-Year-Old Woman
Nancy Lee Leight, a 68-year-old Palm Coast resident, faces two felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following a road rage incident when she allegedly brandished a gun against a driver she’d cut off.
R-Section Man Brandishes AK-47 at Solar Contractors and Orders Them to Leave. He’s Charged With a Misdemeanor.
Roland Littlefield, 53, of 17 Regent Lane in Palm Coast, thought a group of people in a car who were working for a solar company were “casing” the neighborhood, so he allegedly pointed his AK-47 assault rifle at them and ordered them to leave. Similar behavior is typically charged as aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a felony. Littlefield was charged with using a firearm while drunk, a second-degree misdemeanor .
Ex-Paramedic Accused of Raping Patient in Ambulance Is Denied Bond; County Issues New Rescue Protocols
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins this morning agreed with prosecutors and granted the sate’s motion to deny bond to James Melady, the former Flagler County paramedic facing a rape charge stemming from his alleged assault of a patient he was caring for in a county ambulance during an October 2021 emergency call, an assault he video-recorded on his phone. New ambulance protocols now require two people to be with the patient, and will add video surveillance.
FPC’s Dylan Osborne, 17, Killed in Belle Terre Parkway Crash; Man, 60, Dies in Crash from Apparent Medical Episode
Dylan Osborne, a 17-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student on a bicycle, was killed in a collision with a dump truck and at a separate location in Palm Coast a 60-year-old man was died in an almost simultaneous three-vehicle crash in mid-afternoon Monday.
Thrill-Seeking P-Section Prowler, 29, Arrested on Aggravated Stalking Charge After Peering Into Girl’s Bedroom
Damon Smith, 29, who served two years ion probation for a bomb threat at FPC in 2013, was arrested on an aggravated stalking charge Saturday after he allegedly peered into a 14-year-old girl’s bedroom and twice prowled around the girl’s P-Section property in Palm Coast in early evening. The girl’s father was waiting for him with a baseball bat the second night.
Ex-Paramedic James Melady, 37, Charged with Raping Unconscious Patient in a Flagler County Fire Rescue Ambulance
James Tyler Melady, a 37-year-old resident of 100 Navigator Drive in Daytona Beach and former paramedic, was arrested and jailed in Volusia County early today on a charge of raping an unconscious woman in a Flagler County Fire Rescue ambulance during a service call in 2021.
Kidnapping, Child Abuse, Aggravated Battery: 2 Men Face Charges in Separate Domestic Incidents That Spiraled
Justin John Peralta, a 40-year-old resident of Richmond Drive in Palm Coast, and Steven McSwain, 47, of Cranberry Avenue in Bunnell’s Mondex, are at the Flagler County jail on grave charges resulting from unrelated domestic violence incidents that spiraled out of control just before the weekend.
Joseph Horovsky, 21, Is Charged with a Life Felony on Accusations of Molestation of a 10-Year-Old Relative
Joseph Horovsky, a 21-year-old resident of 11 Wasserman Drive, was arrested Wednesday and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation, and today, in a filing by the State Attorney’s Office, was charged with molestation of a child younger than 12, a felony punishable by up to life ion prison. He was placed under arrest at his home and booked at the Flagler County jail on no bond.
15 Years in Prison for Joseph Siano, Who Killed Lee-Ann Daley Driving Wrong Way on US1, His 3rd DUI in 9 Years
Joseph Siano, 65, today was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the drunk driving killing of Lee-Ann Daley, the 46-year-old mother of three, as Siano drove the wrong way on U.S. 1 a few days before Christmas in 2022. He had cataracts, and his blood-alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit.
A Man’s Arrest Over a Mental Crisis Highlights Needs, Available Resources–and Perils to Law Enforcement
A 33-year-old Palm Coast man’s mental health breakdown and subsequent arrest on Thursday highlights the depth of needs for services for people in crisis, the perils law enforcement and health care providers–the first line of response–face when attempting to manage the crisis, as do families, and the help available to Flagler County individuals and families facing those situations.
Labor Day Weekend Gas Prices May Be At Lowest in 3 Years, But Drivers Beware: Sheriff’s Patrols Are in Full Force
Florida gas prices may be at their lowest in three years as Americans take to the roads this Labor Day weekend, with the statewide average at $3.29 per gallon last Sunday and prices about 10 cents higher in Palm Coast as the weekend approaches, with a few locations in the $3.20 range. Meanwhile the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is cautioning drivers that the agency’s patrols, its “DUI Taxi” and roadside message boards will be deployed across the county to remind residents to avoid driving drunk or stoned or recklessly.
Swarm of Sheriff’s Units and FireFlight Searching for 2 Wanted for Home Invasion and Theft of Ferrari
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the new FireFlight emergency helicopter, were engaged in a pursuit of someone driving a metallic-blue Ferrari at speeds of up to 110 or 120 mph through the heart of Palm Coast early this afternoon. Four schools were briefly on secure status.
Flagler Beach Will Lower Speed Limit to 20 Across the City, Citing Safety and Streets Shared by Many Non-Motorists
The Flagler Beach City Commission on Thursday voted 4-1 to drop the citywide speed limit to 20, from a variety of higher speeds–30 along some streets, 25 along others. Speeds along State Road A1A and State Road 100 will remain at 25. Whether, and to what extent, the Flagler Beach Police Department will be able to enforce what for many residents and visitors will be a significantly lower speed limit than they’re used to is an unanswered question.
One FireFlight Is Decommissioned After 22 Years, Another Takes Its Place as County Mulls 24-Hour Operation
At 8:50 Wednesday morning, FireFlight lifted off from near its hangar at the Flagler County Airport for the last time. The 24-year-old helicopter was decommissioned after 22 years of service in Flagler County, while its younger version, a $5.6 million helicopter, took its place. County Commission Chairman Andy Dance said there will likely be discussions starting in December to consider whether to go froma 12-hour to a 24-hour operation for the emergency helicopter.
Mondex Mother Faces Felony Child Abuse Charge Over Joining Fight Between Daughter and Another Girl
Kahtrynn Ann Stephanopoulos, a 34-year-old resident of Berrybush Street in the Mondex, or Daytona North, west of Bunnell, was arrested and charged with felony child abuse in an incident that took place at a bus stop last week. She is accused of joining rather than stopping a fight between her daughter and another teenage girl as students on the bus looked on, bellowed, cheered and taunted, and at least one of them took video of the whole scene.
Palm Coast’s Michael Louis Pilla, 71, Charged with Capital Felony in Recurring Rapes of Child Over 7-Year Span
Michael Louis Pilla, a 71-year-old resident of 24 Lema Lane in Palm Coast for the last 20 years, was charged on Wednesday under a new Florida law that makes him eligible for the death penalty over the alleged rape of a child under 12. He was also charged with additional counts of rape related to alleged assaults that took place after the child turned 12.
A Mast Arm Crashes Onto State Road 100 at the Foot of the Flagler Beach Bridge, Impeding Traffic
It isn’t yet clear why, but a traffic-light-bearing mast stretching over State Road 100 at Flagler Avenue in Flagler Beach, just before the bridge, bent and struck the road this morning around 10:30, causing some havoc with traffic. No one was hurt.
Anthony Wiggins, 32, Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison on Threats, Stalking and Domestic Violence Charges
The various cases of Anthony Wiggins Jr., a 32-year-old resident of Palm Coast’s F Section, had busied the court for two and a half years since his initial arrest on a battery charge, then additional charges of written threats to kill, aggravated stalking despite an injunction, and violating conditions of his pre-trial release. On the eve of his trial, which was scheduled for Monday, Wiggins pleaded out, was found guilty on all charges, and sentenced to five years in prison.
Federal Felon Who Defrauded Government of $1.9 Million Arrested on Kidnapping Charge in Palm Coast
Dino Ajloni, 44, whose federal probation on a case of defrauding the government of nearly $2 million ended last year, was arrested on kidnapping, aggravated battery and domestic battery charges after an altercation with his girlfriend ended in a crash at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Royal Palms Parkway in Palm Coast last Thursday.
Behind Flagler Tax Services Owner Newsholme’s $300,000 in Fraud: Mounting Debts and Ponzi-Like Scheme
Robert Newsholme, the former owner of Flagler Tax Services, a three-year Flagler County Sheriff’s investigation found, had essentially been running what amounted to his own Ponzi scheme, taking money from clients who thought they were paying their IRS taxes, using that money to pay debts from lending companies, then borrowing more money from different lending companies to pay previous lending companies while putting off his clients who wanted their money back, plying them with promises and bad checks.
Yolonda Williams, 50, Is Stabbed and Killed by Husband, Jermaine Williams; He Is Charged with 1st Degree Murder
Bunnell police have charged Jermaine Mandell Williams Sr., 52, with first-degree murder in this morning’s fatal stabbing of his wife, 50-year-old Yolonda Williams, a well-known resident of South Pine Street in the city, after a confrontation with her husband. Jermaine Williams had abused, demeaned and tortured his wife for years. Two and a half years ago she had told police that her husband had been beating her for 30 years, but was afraid to tell anyone for fear that he would kill her. She was a social worker and had five children.
Flagler Beach Does Not Intend to Use New Juvenile Curfew as Punishment, But as Safety Measure, Police Chief Says
Exercising a state law provision, Flagler Beach last month enacted a juvenile curfew, applicable from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to most children under 16 in numerous circumstances, but Police Chief Matt Doughney said the curfew’s penalty has not been necessary, nor does the city intent to exercise it beyond educating those caught after hours, and keeping them safe.
How Anthony Romine Faked Paralysis to Get Out of Flagler Jail, then Escaped Hospital Before Biting Rearrest
Anthony Romine is the 29-year-old resident of Elk River Drive in Ormond Beach and two-time state-prison offender who Saturday faked his way out of the Flagler County jail on a bogus ailment then escaped his guard at the hospital, leading local authorities on an expensive seven-hour chase that alerted county residents, ending in his re-arrest. He is unlikely to make it through the coming court proceedings without additional prison time.
Fentanyl-Caused Deaths Down 10% in Florida, 14% in Flagler, Putnam, and St. Johns: A U.S. Attorney’s Perspective
For the first time in 12 years, the Florida Medical Examiners Commission’s 2022 report showed a small decrease of 3 percent in deaths caused by fentanyl. This month, the Commission issued its interim report for the first six months of 2023. According to that report, the number of deaths caused by fentanyl in Florida was down approximately 10 percent as compared to the same time period in 2022.
11-Year-Old Virginia Boy with Disturbing Profile Arrested Over Spate of Swatting Calls to Flagler Schools in May
Following an investigation by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, authorities arrested an 11-year-old boy from Henrico, Virginia, and charged him with 43 felonies in connection with a series of swatting calls the boy allegedly placed to Flagler County schools last year, as well as to the Maryland State House.
Car Strikes and Kills 81-Year-Old Pedestrian on County Road 305 South of Hollar and Greene Plant
An 81-year-old Bunnell man was walking along 305 when he was struck by a car and killed Wednesday evening, the third pedestrian to die from a car collision on Flagler County roads this year.
Palm Coast’s David Chenowith, 32, Faces Charges of Human Trafficking of a Child, Statutory Rape and Molestation
David Chenowith is a 32-year-old resident of Palm Coast, the father of a 10-year-old girl, and a convicted felon with an extensive arrest record and a previous state prison stint of almost three years. On July 18, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested him on charges of statutory rape of a 16 year old, molesting a girl younger than 16, and human trafficking of a minor–two second-degree felonies and a life felony if convicted.
Police Investigating ‘Suspicious’ and Violent Death of Sally J. Byrd, 66, in Flagler Beach
Flagler Beach Police are investigating the “suspicious” death Thursday morning of “Sally J. Byrd, 66, a resident of Pebble Beach Village at the south end of Flagler Beach. A man is in custody in Georgia in connection with the case, after stealing the woman’s car and fleeing the area.
49-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Rear-End Collision Against Pick-Up on I-95 in Palm Coast
A 40-year-old man from Ballwin, a suburb of St. Louis, Mo., rear-ended a pick-up truck on I-95 late Saturday night, was thrown off the motorcycle and landed on the pavement, near the center guard rail. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
2-Year-Old Boy’s Mom Charged With Felony Child Neglect When He’s Found Wandering Near Clubhouse Drive
Isabella Tucci, 22, of Palm Coast, faces a felony child neglect charge after her 2-year-old son was found wandering outside the Palm Club condominiums while she was asleep.
Michael Stephens, 48, Arrested on Sex Assault and Child Abuse Charges Involving Step-Daughter
Michael Travis Stephens, a 48-year-old resident of Sedgwick Trail in Palm Coast, is at the Flagler County jail on $125,000 bond after allegedly sexually assaulting his minor stepchild while she feigned sleep. Before his arrest, Stephens allegedly threatened to law enforcement that anyone going into his house would not leave alive.
Convicted Murderer With Prior Stalking History Sentenced to 15 Months for Stalking Girl, 15, in R-Section
It was a disturbing report of a repeat offense by a convicted violent felon several times over: A 15-year-old Matanzas High School student told authorities Daniel Hilbert, 53, a neighbor, had been accosting her, befriending her, then stalking her at her R-Section bus stop, and once assaulting her physically. She had pictures and video. The former convict was sentenced to 15 months in prison and nearly four years on sex-offender probation.
15-Month-Old Hospitalized After Seizing from Pot Ingestion; Father Charged With Felony Child Neglect
A 15-month-old Flagler County girl who ingested marijuana her father allegedly left unattended was hospitalized at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville for Sunday after seizing and developing a distended stomach. Her 26-year-old father, Cody Robert Spiegelhalter, was booked at the Flagler County jail on a felony charge of child neglect.
Brian Pirraglia Indicted on 1st Degree Murder Charge in Fentanyl Overdose Death of Brian Oshea, 39
The same day Brian Oshea completed a jail sentence for drug possession, he returned to his former home and overdosed on fentanyl that belonged to Brian Pirraglia, who last week was indicted on a first-degree murder charge.
Palm Coast’s Greg and Amy Pacheco Face Felonies in Road Rage Assault; 3rd Rage Arrest in 2 Years for Greg
Greg Allen Pacheco, 52, and his spouse Amy Lynette Pacheco, 46, are at the Flagler County jail facing felony charges stemming from a road-rage incident on the Hammock Dunes bridge on Tuesday. For Greg Pacheco, it is the third time in two years that he faces charges following similar confrontations with other drivers. He was prosecuted only one of the two times.
Blaming Satan, Ex-Marine Calls Violent Standoff With Deputies a ‘Psychotic Break’; Judge Denies Bond for Now
Robert Detherow, the 55-year-old former Marine at the center of a six-hour standoff with police last week that included rants demanding the arrest of Sheriff Rick Staly, threats and obscene gestures against a deputy and hurling a glass bottle at her, said today that he was suffering “a psychotic break” brought on by PTSD from past deployments. A judge denied him bond, saying his behavior was too erratic and dangerous, pending further evidence of psychological issues.
‘Iron Man’ Robber Is Re-Arrested on an Arson Charge After Truck Fire and Explosion at Bunnell Lot
Lakhram Mahadeo, the Palm Coast resident who drew attention as the so-called “Iron Man” bank robber in 2013, served eight years in prison and was serving probation for that armed robbery of the Wells Fargo branch on Belle Terre Parkway, was arrested again on an arson charge stemming from a bizarre incident involving a semi truck he allegedly set on fire after it broke down.
Six Flagler Residents Among 9 Sentenced to Federal Prison in Conclusion of Multi-State Drug-Trafficking Conspiracy
The United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida has announced that all nine individuals charged as a result of “Operation Ice Man” have been sentenced to prison. Each defendant was found guilty by a jury or pleaded guilty for their role in a multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned from Mexico to California, Arizona, central Florida, and Flagler County.