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.
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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.
Ex-Marine Had It In for Sheriff Staly As He Compared Son’s Arrest to Donald Trump’s in a ‘Dying’ America
Robert Shawn Detherow, 55, threatened to dismember the sheriff’s deputy taking him to the Flagler County jail after he held off deputies in a six-hour standoff Wednesday, three days after posting a series of video exhorting people to join him to pray, to confront Sheriff Rick Staly, who he said should be arrested, and to ward off a civil war in the United States. He was upset over his son’s arrest in March, which he compared to the arrest of Donald Trump.
Standoff with ‘Religious Fanatic Survivalist’ on Palm Coast’s Forsythe Lane Ends With Arrests
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly described the man holed up inside the house at 94 Forsythe Lane in Palm Coast’s F-Section since late this morning as a “religious fanatic survivalist” who had earlier been causing a disturbance and assaulting law enforcement officers. The man has “also alluded that he wanted to do suicide by cop,” Staly said. The man was taken into custody around 2 p.m.
Former Palm Coast Surgeon John Cascone Again Avoids Felony Conviction Over Abuse, Pleading to Misdemeanors
For the second time in five years, former Palm Coast surgeon John Cascone today pleaded two felony-battery charges to simple battery misdemeanors, avoiding jail and limiting punishment to 24 months of probation, which he may terminate early. The case followed a similar path to one involving Cascone five years ago, with notable differences.
James Michael McGill, 33, Arrested for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials After Kik CyberTip
James Michael McGill, a 33-year-old resident of 16 Kaywood Place in Palm Coast, was arrested Thursday on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and booked at the Flagler County jail on $150,000 bond.
Think Your Land Can’t Be Sold Without Your Knowledge? Palm Coast Lot Owner Found Out Differently.
A Palm Coast property owner was shocked to fine that a lot he owns in the L Section had been put up for sale without his knowledge. It is now a common fraud that’s catching many property owners by surprise, that title companies are battling, and that the Florida Legislature attempted to address, but a bill doing so died in the last session.
Palm Coast Man Killed in Crash After Girlfriend Reported His Voyeuristic Video of Her 10-Year-Old Daughter
Palm Coast’s Miguel Antonio Moreno, 36, was fleeing cops Thursday evening after his girlfriend had reported finding a voyeuristic video he had taken of her 10-year-old daughter. His vehicle crashed after striking stop sticks on U.S. 1, ejecting Moreno. He died at the scene.
Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies Rescue 1-Year-Old Child Locked in Car for 8 to 10 Minutes
On the afternoon of Monday, May 20, Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies rescued a 1-year-old child that was locked inside a vehicle with the engine off and all windows closed.
13 Year Old Arrested in Daytona Beach in Copycat ‘Dare’ to Blow Up Buddy Taylor Middle School
A 13-year-old adolescent was arrested by Daytona Beach police today and charged with making one call threatening to blow up Buddy Taylor Middle School in late morning today. Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said the threat is believed to be a copycat following a week of similar calls threatening to shoot up Flagler County schools, shoot cops who’d respond to the threats or detonate bombs.
Baffled and Rattled, Flagler Community, Schools and Cops Grapple with Response to Bogus ‘Swatting’ Disruptions
There are no arrests, no serious leads, no understandable motives behind the spate of “swatting” calls that have disrupted classes and activities at several schools in Flagler County over the last three days, caused immeasurable anxiety among students, faculty and parents, and caused law enforcement and other responders to expend untold work-hours and other resources.
Buddy Taylor Middle School Targeted by Suspicious Call for 2nd Day in a Row as Students and Buses Are Turned Away
For the second day in a row, Buddy Taylor Middle School is the target of a suspicious called-in threat that’s resulted in a lockdown before school started this morning and the turning away of students arriving for class.
2-Year Investigation Leads to Arrest of P-Section Bomber Who’d Left Trail of Violent and Disturbing Letters
Late Thursday, Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jason Robert Burns, a 49-year-old resident of 9 Bronson Lane, on a first-degree arson charge and a charge of possessing explosives, both first-degree felonies, each with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. He is accused of setting off a pipe bomb outside a house in Palm Coast’s P Section in 2022, and had left a trail of handwritten letters filled with grievances and veiled threats and slanders against his ex-wife.
With 2 Young Children in Car, Woman Heads to Ex-Boyfriend’s House and Shoots at Resident to Scare Her
Tasia R. Cooper, a 25-year-old Bunnell resident, faces three felony charges, including two counts of child abuse, after allegedly driving to a property on Coconut Boulevard in Daytona North–the Mondex–and firing a gun in the direction of the occupant while two children were in the car with Cooper on Monday.
18-Year-Old Man Shot in the Arm Near Flagler Beach Fire Station; Alleged Assailant at Large
An 18-year-old man was shot in the arm in the vicinity of the Flagler Beach Fire Department and taken to the hospital with the non-life-threatening injury this evening, Flagler Beach Police Chief Matt Doughney said. The assailant fled the city and is unknown and at large for now.
Man, 24, Accused of Fabricating Stabbing by Homeless Person and Wasting Untold Hours of Sheriff’s Resources
Chase Rollins Mott, 24, claimed he was randomly stabbed by a homeless man at a trailer park near Tomoka Marine on State Road 100. But No homeless person had attacked him, and there’d been no random assailant. He had done it to himself and fabricated or dissimulated the rest, while using up enormous law enforcement and public safety resources over a 10-day investigation. All along, Mott was on probation–and was violating his probation at the time of the alleged incident.
15-Year-Old Palm Coast Boy Critical After Electric Bike Collision with Pick-Up on Laramie and Lakeview
A 15-year-old Palm Coast adolescent was in critical condition Wednesday evening after a pick-up truck collided with the electric bike the 15 year old was riding as he crossed the intersection at Lakeview Boulevard and Laramie Drive in north Palm Coast.
Jayden Jackson, 21, a Sheriff’s Deputy’s Son, Is Arrested in Hit-and-Run Death of Shaunta Cain on U.S. 1
Jayden Ikaika Jackson, the 21-year-old son of a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy, was arrested on Monday on a first-degree felony charge of hit-and-run causing the death of 51-year-old Shaunta Cain in late 2022.
Bunnell Man and His Family Wake Up to Find Ex at Foot of His Bed With a Knife, Ready to Attack
It is among the worst imaginable situations in one’s home: to wake up and see an armed, threatening assailant at the foot of the bed. It was even worse for R.G. and his family: his two young children were in the bedroom, as was his girlfriend. The assailant clenching a knife was his ex-wife, Melinda Gould, 40, who’d previously faced a stalking charge, and who earlier that night had been on the hunt for a gun. She now faces five felonies, one of them punishable by up to life in prison.
Palm Coast’s Alan Avellan Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison Over Secret Videos of a Child and Overt Sexual Acts
Alan Avellan Jr., the 38-year-old Palm Coast resident arrested last year on charges of casting pornographic videos to a television that children were watching in his house, was sentenced to three years in prison followed by eight years on sex-offender probation, and was designated a sex offender for life. He pleaded guilty to eight felonies that added up to a maximum of 70 years in prison, resulting from his abuse of children’s privacy and his own inappropriate acts in their presence.
17-Year-Old Runaway from Wisconsin and Companion Found in Palm Coast and Arrested for Car Theft
A 17-year-old adolescent reported missing out of Green Bay, Wis., and an 18-year-old woman from that state were found in Palm Coast and arrested for grand theft auto. The vehicle belongs to the adolescent’s father, who had been traveling, and who’d locked away the keys.