Flagler Beach police identified the man allegedly responsible for a series of hate crimes against local business on Nov. 19 and 20 as Liam Mackin, a 70-year-old resident and property owner with his wife at the Bridgewater condominiums in Flagler Beach, unit E101, since 2015. He has been a local resident for 30 years. But he has fled to Ireland. Mackin deliberately and very specifically targeted businesses that were either owned by Israelis or Americans of Jewish heritage, or had business or family affiliations with Jewish concerns.
Flagler 911
Tony Zaksewicz, Honored Matanzas High Teacher, Arrested over Walmart Theft Scheme Stretching Over 6 Months
Anthony Zaksewicz, a 45-year-old resident of Lema Lane in Palm Coast and a veteran history teacher at Matanzas High School honored last year with a state award, was arrested on felony charges in connection with an alleged thieving scheme at Walmart that stretched over six months and aggregated thefts of nearly $3,200. Zaksewicz has taught in Flagler schools for 17 years.
Willie Gardner Is Spared More Jail Time After All in Dog Abuse Case, But Is Barred from Contact With Animals
Willie Gardner was released from jail in late morning today, a few hours after a sentencing hearing before Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, who withheld a further jail sentence after all on animal abuse charges Gardner faced. Gardner had served 30 days since his arrest on a probation violation. Perkins earlier this month had wanted 90 days.
Sheriff Hopes New Facial Reconstruction of Murder Victim Found Near SR11 in 1980 May Lead to Identification
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit has received a new facial reconstruction depicting the victim of a 1980 cold case. On May 28, 1980, skeletal remains were found near a canal/culvert on State Road 11 about 2 miles south of the Bunnell, Florida city limits.
Palm Coast Man, 19, Accused of Beating Teen and Smashing Car’s Windshield
Christian Anthony Betancourt, a 19-year-old resident of Farmbrook Lane in Palm Coast, faces a felony count of throwing deadly missiles at an occupied vehicle following a Nov. 21 confrontation at the Fairfield Inn hotel on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast. Betancourt was allegedly upset that he’d been found cheating on his girlfriend.
At Least 3 Locations in Flagler Beach Are Target of Anti-Semitic Graffiti; Police Looking for Offender
At least three business locations in downtown Flagler Beach were the target of anti-Semitic graffiti in Flagler Beach between Sunday and Monday. Flagler Beach police have surveillance footage of the individual, and are looking for the public’s help to identify him.
Road Rage Incident Over Hurled Cup of Coffee Lands Palm Coast Man in Jail on 3 Felonies
An argument between the occupants of two vehicles that started at Chick-Fil-A off Palm Coast Parkway escalated into a physical fight in which one of the occupants took out an unloaded rifle, and culminated in the arrest of 36-year-old Donavan Matthews on three felonies.
Palm Coast Man, 42, Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash on U.S. 1
A 42-year-old Palm Coast man died in a single-vehicle crash on U.S. 1 just north of County Road 202 Friday afternoon. The man was at the wheel of a Ford F-150, driving north on U.S. 1. He lost control of the vehicle, veering onto the grass media, then overcorrected, sending the vehicle rotating counterclockwise across the highway’s two lanes before crashing into a tree.
Ex-Bloods Gang Leader Brandon Washington, Serving Life, Duels Again with Prosecutor in Losing Bid for Relief
Brandon Washington was once the local gang leader of the “East Coast Bloods.” He was tried in 2011 and found guilty of a 2007 home invasion robbery and murder on Palm Coast’s on Pheasant Drive, and is serving four life terms. Today, he dueled with the prosecutor who won that conviction as Washington and his attorney argued that he’d had ineffective representation at trial. He did not prevail, but appeared to enjoy himself greatly.
C.J. Nelson Jr., 22, Charged with Manslaughter in the Shooting Death of 18-Month-Old Girl at R-Section House
C.J. Nelson Jr., the 22-year-old Palm Coast man arrested on an unrelated charge the night of the shooting death of an 18-month-old girl at at 2 Ranwood Lane in September, was charged with manslaughter with a firearm for that death on Wednesday. The first degree felony charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Ex-Girlfriend Charged with Armed Home Invasion Robbery as Her 3 Children Waited in Car Before School
Kiarra S. Strickland, a 33-year-old resident of Slumber Path in Palm Coast, was arrested on a first-degree felony charge of armed home invasion robbery following a Nov. 14 incident when she entered her former boyfriend’s home, where she used to live with her three young children, and allegedly held him up at gunpoint and took between $50 and $100 before driving off with her children, who had been in the car.
Man Destroys a Room in Reckless Shooting Spree at Topaz Motel Before His Arrest at Gunpoint Blocks Away
A 35-year-old man who claimed he was being chased by assassins with AR-15 rifles fired numerous rounds through the door and windows of Room 214 at the Topaz Motel in Flagler Beach, facing State Road A1A, in a shooting spree that destroyed the room.
Flagler Sheriff’s Office Awarded $355,000 Federal Grant to Develop Hate-Crime Prevention Initiatives
In its application for the grant, the Sheriff’s Office said it would “develop a comprehensive approach to addressing hate crimes committed in Flagler County through enhancing agency investigation and reporting capabilities, as well as by forming partnerships with community stakeholders… in identifying potential hate crimes and targeted violence prevention.”
Sheriff’s Traffic Stop in West Flagler Turns Into Arrest of Three Men on Drug and Other Charges
Sheriff Rick Staly turned patrolman Tuesday evening, pulling over a van that had crossed the double-yellow line on State Road 100 in the far western part of the county, and initiating a traffic stop that resulted in the arrest of three men, two of them on drug charges.
AdventHealth Surgeon John Cascone Charged with Child Abuse in 2nd Arrest in 4 Years
John Cascone, the AdventHealth Palm Coast surgeon who pleaded to a battery charge in a domestic violent case four years ago, was arrested again on Saturday (Nov. 4) on a felony count of aggravated child abuse involving a 15-year-old girl, and a felony battery count involving his wife. He was released the next day on $60,000 bond.
How a Reckless FHP Chase Almost Caused a Catastrophic Crash in Seminole Woods
On Oct. 26, Palm Coast resident Kendall Clark and her husband were driving in a residential Seminole Woods neighborhood to visit family when they were almost in a severe crash with a Florida Highway Patrol trooper chasing an alleged suspect who had committed no violent crime nor was wanted on a warrant.
Before Troopers Shot Her in Hammock, DeLand Woman Had A Short, Violent History of Confrontations
Jacqueline Faye Blank, the 37-year-old DeLand woman Florida Highway Patrol troopers shot several times in the parking lot of the Hammock Beach Resort on Oct. 25, is an army veteran who until August had a clean record. That quickly vanished with a violent confrontation with her girlfriend and cops in early August, and a violent confrontation with FHP elsewhere, not reported until now, just before the shooting.
Secret Camera Records Violence and Leads to Palm Coast’s Man’s Arrest on Child Abuse Charge
Pierre Betine Joseph, a 49-year-old resident of Rolling Sands Drive in Palm Coast, was arrested on a felony child abuse charge after video footage from a secret camera installed by the victim’s siblings showed Joseph whipping his middle school son 11 times with two different belts as the child screams in pain and pleads for mercy, leaving welts on the child’s legs.
It’s Not a Good Idea to Spit at the Court Ahead of Your Sentencing. Dacotah Clarke Now Faces Up to 17.5 Years.
Dacotah Wren Clark, 27, left a plea hearing and a pending prison sentence of 2.5 years by slamming the courtroom door and spitting in the elevator. He was then re-arrested days later on a dozen new charges. After a dressing down by Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, Clarke now faces up to 17.5 years in prison, without penalties for the spitting and door-slamming.
Latest FHP Chase in Flagler Ends with Death of Alleged Carjacker in Rear-End Crash on I-95
A one-mile stretch of I-95 from the State road 100 bridge south turned into a crash zone during a 90-minute period around midday, resulting in overturned vehicles but no injuries in the first crash and the death of a man who was allegedly fleeing in a chase yet again triggered either in Duval or St. Johns County and involving the Florida Highway Patrol. The fleeing man is alleged to have committed a carjacking.
Two Crashes Kill Three People In Deadliest Day This Year on Flagler Roads
In the deadliest day on Flagler County roads this year, three people died in two unrelated vehicle crashes barely two hours apart on Sunday in Palm Coast.
Flagler Playhouse Burns, Demolishing Home of County’s Oldest Theater Troupe and a City Landmark
The Flagler Playhouse, for 46 years a mainstay of the performing arts in the county, lost the rustic theater it has occupied and packed with audiences since 2006 in Bunnell as a fire destroyed it Sunday night into early Monday. Flagler County Fire Chief Michael Tucker said the building was irreparable.
Indian Trails Middle School Student, 14, Accused of Threatening Another With a Kitchen Knife
A 14-year-old Indian Trails Middle School (ITMS) student was arrested early Friday morning after pulling a knife on students and staff.
Another FHP Chase Ends in Arrest After Manhunt Off Slow Drift Turn in Seminole Woods
A chase initiated by Florida Highway Patrol troopers–the second in less than 24 hours in Flagler County–ended after a manhunt in the woods off Slow Drift Turn in Palm Coast’s Seminole Woods early this afternoon, with the arrest of a man who’d crashed the Dodge Charger he was driving.
FHP Chase Ends in Shooting at Two Women, Wounding One, at Hammock Beach Resort; Incident Captured on Video
A chase involving units of the Florida Highway Patrol ended in an FHP-involved shooting at the Hammock Beach Resort involving two women, one of whom was injured and air-lifted. A video of the incident shows the women’s vehicle pinned and surrounded by FHP vehicles and troopers when the shooting occurred.
Palm Coast’s Jessy Gilbreath, 28, Arrested for Raping Autistic Child, 12, in His Charge
Jessy Kalany Gilbreath, a 28-year-old resident of 45 Eton Lane, Side B, in Palm Coast, faces a capital felony charge of child rape. Though it’s the first such charge for a Flagler County suspect since the Legislature in its last term revived a law making an individual convicted of raping a child younger than 12 eligible for the death penalty, that does not apply in this case because the capital offense did not take place after Oct. 1, as did other alleged offenses.
Drug-Possession Charge Filed Against Charles Cowart, 19, Graver Charges Dropped
Charles T. Cowart, a 19-year-old resident of Kaiser Place in Palm Coast–not to be confused with his father of the same first and middle name–faces a felony drug-possession charge.
Matanzas Brawl Was Long Simmering: Parents Had Alerted the School and Sought Mediation, To No Avail
The Matanzas High School brawl last week did not occur out of nowhere. According to eight of the parents involved, several of them had been warning the school administration of problems well before, asking for a series of measures, all neglected or turned down outright by the administration, to an apparently unaware principal, Kristin Bozeman, who would tell several of the parents that she was unaware of the issues until the day of the brawl.
Teacher’s Alert Leads to Palm Coast’s Man’s Arrest on Web-Casting Obscenity to Kids
Allan P. Avellan, who allegedly told his children he could get in trouble for it, was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony of distributing obscene materials to minors after twice casting explicit videos from his phone to a television screen where his children and their friends were hanging out. Three days later, William Naughton, 26, was arrested on the same charge for flashing girls in the Target parking lot with his phone.
Palm Coast Tornado Confirmed, ‘Multiple, Severely Damaged Homes’ in B-Section, Some Homeless
Flagler County Emergency Management and other first responders are investigating a tornado touching down in Palm Coast’s B Section around 4:45 this morning, leaving a trail of downed trees, downed power lines, damaged roofs, fencing and power losses. There are no reports of injuries.
Ex-Matanzas Student Brendan Depa Will Plead Out in Teacher-Assault Case, Leaving His Fate to a Judge
Brendan Depa, the former Matanzas High School student who drew global attention and a first-degree felony charge as an adult after a video of his assault on a paraprofessional circulated, will plead out, avoiding a trial. But he will also be taking the risk of a steep sentence.
11 Matanzas High School Students Face Arrest for Fighting, Three on Felony Charges
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office filed charges against 11 Matanzas High School students on Monday following a brawl that involved students hitting each other, landing a punch on a teacher, attacking an administrator and resisting a deputy. It is the largest mass arrest at the school since it opened in the fall of 2005.
16-Year-Old Student Arrested for Biting Her Teacher at Matanzas High School
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Friday arrested a 16-year-old student at Matanzas High School after the teen got into a physical altercation with another student and bit a school staff member who was attempting to break up the fight.
Before Her Leap Off the Flagler Beach Bridge, Untouched Drinks and a Purse Left Behind
The Flagler Beach Police Department identified the woman who jumped from the Flagler Beach bridge Wednesday afternoon and survived as Mandy Michelle Mincey, a 47-year-old woman with no reported home. She was also known as Mandy Monroe. Earlier that day she had been at a bar and had ordered drinks, but left them untouched as she ran to the bridge.
15-Year-Old FPC Student Faces Aggravated Assault Charge for Pointing Toy Gun at Others
“I really thought it was done, like all of my life was over,” a student said after the 15-year-old student pointed the gun at him and clicked the trigger. Florida law does not distinguish between real and toy guns when either are used to give the impression that someone is armed, and criminal charges are filed accordingly.
With $719,000 Almost Certainly Lost to Fraud, School District Turns to Insurance in Hopes for Recovery
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly this afternoon confirmed that the amount of money the Flagler County school district lost in a wire-transfer phishing scheme is $719,583, but that “it’s close to 100 percent long gone.” The district made the payment on Sept. 22. Its fraudulent nature was not detected until Tuesday morning–11 days later, an eternity of comfort for phishing scams to evade controls and make it out of the country.
Woman Survives Suicide Attempt Off Flagler Beach Bridge as Rescuers Pull Her from Intracoastal
A woman survived an apparent suicide attempt off the Flagler Beach bridge early this afternoon as passersby immediately alerted authorities, and paramedics dove into the Intracoastal to rescue her.
Flagler School District Loses ‘Significant Amount of Money’ in Apparent Phishing Scheme Involving Vendor
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a case of fraud, or phishing, targeting the Flagler County school district and one of its vendors. The district may have lost as much as $700,000 intended for one of the contractors building the Matanzas High School addition. If it is a case of phishing, the likelihood of recovering the money is not high, especially since the district may not have been timely either in discovering the fraud or in reporting it.
Alleged Circle K Robber Flees with $368 and Is Apprehended Near the Library
John Ramsey Davis, a 44-year-old homeless man, faces felony charges after allegedly robbing the Circle K at Palm Coast Parkway of $368 Monday night. Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended him shortly afterward near the public library. No one was physically hurt. The stolen money was recovered.
22-Year-Old Man Is Killed When His Vehicle Skids Off Exit Ramp at I-95 and Palm Coast Parkway
A 22-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle crash early this morning when his sedan veered off the exit ramp at I-95 and Palm Coast Parkway and struck a palm tree, cutting it in half. The driver was the sole occupant of the vehicle.
Contrasting with Depa Case, Judge Dismisses Charge Against Autistic Female Who’d Assaulted Teacher at Matanzas
A felony assault charge against Reba Johnson, now 20, an autistic student who had attacked her teacher at Matanzas High School, was dropped today after she was continuously found incompetent to stand trial,. It’s a sharp contrast with the ongoing charge against Brendan Depa, who faces a more severe felony charge after he attacked a paraprofessional last February, though Depa’s and Johnson’s profiles parallel each other in many, but not all, respects.
Taylor Manjarres, 20, Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Her Role in Shooting Death of Zaire Roberts
Circuit Judge Terence Perkins sentenced Taylor Renee Manjarres, 20, to 12 years in prison for her role in the armed home invasion that resulted in the shooting death of 23-year-old Zaire Roberts at an R-Section house in Palm Coast in December 2021. Her co-conspirator, Kwentel Moultrie, got 35 years in addition to 10 years for a separate charge.
Michael Benkert, on the Run for 19 Days Since Flagler Beach Trailer Park Manhunt, Is Arrested
Michael Benkert, the thrice-imprisoned 31-year-old Palm Coast resident who had terrorized family members in Flagler Beach and whose evasion from law enforcement turned a trailer park there into a police-chase zone three weeks ago, was finally apprehended, along with his twin brother Anthony, and faces a half dozen charges, three of them felonies.
Montessori School Owner Kerri Huckabee, 54, Arrested on 3 Felonies in Dispute with Flagler Beach Neighbors
Kerri Ann Huckabee, 54, the long-time owner of the Montessori school in Flagler Beach that moved to Bunnell in 2018, was arrested on three felony charges, including a second degree felony, and for kicking two police officers, and was booked at the Flagler County jail. The arrest was the result of long-running antagonism toward her neighbors on South 23rd Street since they moved in in 2018.
37-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Rear-End Collison with SUV on I-95
A 37-year-old Deltona man on a motorcycle was killed early Sunday morning on I-95 just north of the Old Dixie Highway interchange after rear-ending an SUV.
Sean Barry, 33, Found Hanging at County Jail and Dies at Hospital. He’d Been Waiting for a Drug-Treatment Bed.
Sean E. Barry, a 33-year-old resident of Butternut Avenue in Bunnell’s Mondex, died at AdventHealth Palm Coast on Thursday afternoon, five days after he was found hanging in an apparent suicide attempt at the Flagler County jail. Barry was not at the jail on a criminal charge, but on a Marchman Act motion his sister had filed with the court in early August as she sought to get him the drug treatment help he needed.
2-Hour Standoff Involving Threats of Gunfire on Brunswick Lane Ends with Arrest of Michael Wells, 57, on 4 Felonies
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies were involved in a two-hour, high-risk standoff at 94 Brunswick Lane in Palm Coast Monday night that ended with the arrest of Michael H. Wells, 57, who had barricaded himself and threatened a deputy with what appeared to be a gun after luring him into the house to pick up another firearm. He is being held at the county jail on $102,500 bond.
Felony Charge for Mom Who Left Child Alone With Dead Man After Night of Sex and Drugs at Hammock Resort
The State Attorney’s Office filed a third-degree felony child neglect charge against Amy M. Kemper, 32, of Richland Place in Palm Coast on Thursday. The charge is in connection with an incident at the Hammock Beach Resort on Sept. 9 involving drugs and group sex in the proximity of Kemper’s 11-year-old child, and that ended with the death of a 60-year-old man, according to her arrest report and the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Third Cyclist Killed in 6 Weeks, on Narrow CR 302, as Flagler County’s 2-Wheel and Pedestrian Fatalities Rise
A 51-year-old Palm Coast man cycling on County Road 302 early this morning died in a crash involving two vehicles, the third cyclist to die on Flagler County’s roads in six weeks. County Road 302 is a narrow two-lane road with no shoulders, no bike lanes and no street lights.
Pedestrian Reported to Have Jumped in Front of Car Is Killed on Belle Terre Parkway
A 39-year-old Palm Coast man on foot was killed Monday evening in a collision with a sedan on Belle Terre Parkway, just north of Palm Coast Parkway.