It is the most striking development yet in the high-profile domestic-violence case against Flagler Beach Commissioner Eric Cooley, roping in the sheriff in unexpected ways. He is fighting the subpoena.
Flagler County Sheriff
Flagler Ready to Pay $1 Million To Fix Sheriff’s Building? Bogus Claim, County Says
County Commission Candidate Dennis McDonald says Commissioner Dave Sullivan told him it would take $1 million to fix the Operations Center, a claim Sullivan says is false.
Three Suicides Averted in 2 Days As 911 Dispatchers and Deputies Defuse Chilling Situations
Over the weekend, authorities converged on three suicide attempts–by gun in Flagler Beach, by hanging and by cop off a county road in western Flagler, and by knife in Palm Coast’s K-Section.
For 2nd Time in 3 Weeks Man Pulls a Gun on Flagler Deputies, But No Arrest This Time
Flagler deputies were checking on a 33-year-old man who had been reported to be suicidal (possibly falsely). He came out of his house pointing a gun at the deputies.
Racist and Bullying Behavior Leads to Firing, Retirement and Transfer of 3 Veteran Flagler Sheriff’s Deputies
Following internal investigations, Deputy Jon Freshcorn, Sgt. John Bray and Cmdr. Brian Pasquariello were all subject to discipline following a breakdown in professional conduct at the courthouse.
Sheriff Asks For Semi-Permanent Solution Away From Comatose Building As Issue May Linger Up To a Year
In a workshop initially mean to to hear the latest analysis of previous air testing, Sheriff Staly asked county government to work out a semi-permanent solution to his staff’s evacuation from the troubled Operations Center.
Flagler Jail Sends ‘Inmate Work Crew’ Around Town, and Gets Paid GED Instructor
A black-and-white-striped Flagler County jail work crew will start duties around the community, and the jail is getting a GED instructor for nearly 30 hours a week.
Low, $500 Bond For Sex Offender’s Re-Arrest Raises Sheriff’s Eyebrows–and Unravels
Bleak Case Through Court Maze
Tavares Calloway was 21 when he was charged with the statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl. Probation violations landed him in prison for 3 years. He’s been rearrested again on a violation weeks after his release.
Man, 79, Turns Himself In at Flagler Jail on Scam Warrant. It’s 6 Hours Before Deputies Figure It Out and Release Him.
Alphonso Perry was made to wait for 2 hours in a lobby and 4 hours in a holding cell before detention deputies got to his file and figured out he did not belong at the county jail.
New Review ‘Rejects’ Report Finding Sheriff’s Building Safe But Also Lays Out Steps To Re-Occupancy
Sheriff Rick Staly asked retired scientist Robert Sweeney to review previous reports on mold testing at the Operations Center, judge the work’s quality and make recommendations.
Matanzas High Launches Law and Justice Flagship, Giving Students Bridge to Cop and Legal Careers
For Matanzas, whose students often toil in the shadow of FPC, the Law and Justice flagship may right the balance with a program of equal standing with FPC’s fire academy.
Sheriff Says If It’s Up To Him, ‘I Will Be Advocating That We Never Reoccupy The Operations Center’
Sheriff Rick Staly made the startling statement in response to Commission Chairman Greg Hansen saying the decision to reoccupy will be left entirely up to Staly. But Hansen was speaking out of turn.
Sheriff Lashes Into County Administrator Over “Disregard” of Security Protocols in
Operations Center
Sheriff Rick Staly is blaming County Administrator Craig Coffey for potentially jeopardizing the sheriff’s crime-fighting by improperly sending cleaning crews through secured areas of the evacuated Operations Center.
Suspect Pulls Gun on Deputy Duenas, Who For 2nd Time in 9 Months Shows Grit and Restraint
Flagler Sheriff’s deputy Jonathon Duenas Wednesday evening was confronted with a man with a gun and immediately disarmed him, the second time in nine months Duenas faced a deadly situation he defused without harm.
CDC Experts Will Examine Sheriff’s Operations Center and Meet With Employees
After three weeks of seeming inaction on the troubled Sheriff’s Operations Center, the county has agreed to a two-day site visit from CDC experts in occupational safety and health issues.
New Back To School Normal For Flagler School Employees: How To Deal With a Mass Killer
The Flagler Auditorium today filled with 1,000 faculty members for “active shooter” or “incident survival” training through a vivid, disquieting presentation by Sheriff’s officials.
Cops Behaving Proudly: Sheriff and Flagler Beach Police Chief Sum Up Solid State of Law Enforcement
Sheriff Rick Staly and Flagler Beach Chief Matt Doughney appeared at a chamber breakfast to speak of the state of law enforcement in the county, from diminishing crime rates to improving PR.
Sheriff Staly on Operations Center: “I Will Not Tolerate Blaming Victims of This Building, My Employees”
Sheriff Rick Staly delivered a 2,000-word statement on the troubled Operations Center during Monday’s workshop on the matter. The full text is reproduced here.
Price For Sheriff’s New Palm Coast Precinct Property Drops, But Renovation Costs Soar
The county paid $832,500 for the property, $42,500 less than projected, but it will pay $230,000 to renovate, up from the $100,000 initially projected.
Combative Statements and Threats of Litigation Belie Claim of Unity Meeting on Sheriff’s Operations Center
A Flagler County Commission workshop on results of air testing at the Sheriff’s Operations Center was tense and combating as sheriff’s employees questioned the county’s sincerity.
Doubt and Mistrust From Sheriff’s Employees Against County’s ‘All Clear’ on Operations Center
Sheriff’s employees are neither ready nor willing to return to the potentially sick operations center: a report on the building’s air still doesn’t explain why 27 employees developed problems.
Challenge Accepted: Sheriff Staly Takes Up Lip-Sync Challenge With Jailhouse Rock Video
Sheriff Staly gave in and led a team of deputies and others in a lip-synced version of Elvis’s “Jailhouse Rock,” part of a lip-sync challenge sweeping across law enforcement agencies.
Issuing Report, County Says Sheriff’s Building “Deemed Safe To Occupy,” But Sheriff Raises Questions
A much-anticipated report on the air quality of the evacuate Sheriff’s Operations Center concludes that the building has no mold problem but questions remain, not least from the sheriff.
Sheriff’s Deputy Fired For Failing To Stop Car Going Wrong Way, Toward Fatal Crash on I-95
Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Robert Finn passed a motorist going the wrong way on an I-95 exit ramp in April, and did not conduct a traffic stop. The motorist was killed moments later in a head-on crash.
Once a Jail Commander, 23-Year Sheriff’s Employee Is Demoted to Deputy Over Chronic Flaws
Tammy Stakes last September was a commander making over $80,000 a year. She was demoted to deputy over a series of supervisory failures and missteps.
Dennis McDonald Files to Run Against Greg Hansen as Sheriff’s Building Fuses Explosive Campaign Issue
Dennis McDonald will challenge County Commissioner Greg Hansen as an independent, with the mess surrounding the Sheriff’s Operations Center leading his decision to run.
Sheriff’s Potentially Sick Building Testing Done in 1 Day, Results Not Expected Until July
An environmental engineer Flagler County government hired to test the Sheriff’s Operations Center gathered some 30 air, soil and other samples in a one-day testing spree at the building.
Sheriff’s Office Completes Evacuation as Length of Nomadic Exile Remains Uncertain
The Flagler Sheriff’s Office completed its relocation to the courthouse and its old administrative building pending analysis of the potentially sick operations center.
Sheriff’s Operations Center Will Evacuate To Courthouse and Old Administration Building
The move out of the troubled building began as testing is scheduled in mid-June, but an environmental engineer cautions against expectations of black-and-white answers.
Ex-Sheriff Jim Manfre on Troubled Operations Center: How We Got Here
Former Sheriff Jim Manfre, who completed his term in 2016, offers his side of the history of the acquisition of and subsequent issues with the potentially sick Sheriff’s Operations Center.
Flagler Sheriff’s Budget For 2018-19 Would Go Up $3.8 Million, Largest In Over a Decade
The surge is driven by another increase in sheriff’s deputies, and would bring the total number of new deputies to 22 in two years. The county commission is not objecting.
More Rehash Than Clarity As Flagler’s Expert Addresses Sheriff’s Possibly Sick Building
County government in a workshop with an engineering expert could not tell the sheriff or his employees how soon there may be answers on reported health issues at the Sheriff’s Operations Center.
In Her Own Words: Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Reveals Anguish and Fears Over Sick
Building in Plea For Urgency
An internal sheriff’s investigation uncovers a three-page letter Detective Annie Conrad wrote Sheriff Rick Staly, urging that employees’ concerns of a potentially sick building be taken seriously.
County’s Reply To Sheriff on Sick Building: We’ll Get Back To You On That
The Flagler County administration in an unsigned statement said the county was hiring an engineer to further study the sheriff’s potentially sick operations center.
Calling It an Unsafe “Albatross,” Sheriff Demands Immediate Relocation Out of Sick Building For Dozens of Employees
Unequivocally referring to the Operations Center as a sick building, Sheriff Rick Staly made the demand for alternate space to County Administrator Craig Coffey, who pushed to buy the old hospital in 2013 and convert it.
Flagler Jail Deputy Who’d Reported to Work Drunk Is Fired Over Obscene Gesture at Bar
Mark Sousa was fired and detention deputy Laura Gadson disciplined for posting an image of Sousa on Instagram flipping the bird at a bar the night his suspension had been revealed.
For Sheriff’s Detective Annie Conrad, Flagler Officer Of the Year, Grim Duty Defined By Compassion
Flagler Sheriff’s Detective Annie Conrad, a 14-year veteran, played a central role in the conviction of Dorothy Singer in the killing of Singer’s husband.
Flagler School Board Unanimously Approves 13 Deputies in Schools, Ending Tiff With Sheriff
The $1.8 million agreement almost splits costs between the sheriff and the school board and doubles the number of deputies in schools in the first post-Parkland massacre contract.
At Flagler Sheriff’s Ceremony For Fallen Officers, Feeling Pain Of ‘Loss Across the Nation’
Fagler County’s five fallen deputies over the years were recognized Monday evening, and the sheriff’s tactical center was renamed after Sheriff Homer Brooks.
Swip-Swappers Get a Safer Trading and Exchange Zone Outside Flagler Sheriff’s Office
To minimize transactions going wrong, the Flagler Sheriff’s Office has set up a safe-trade -e-commerce exchange zone under video surveillance outside its operations center.
Sheriff’s Palm Coast Precinct Moving Near Island Walk for $1 Million, Ending Nomadic Years
The Flagler Sheriff’s Palm Coast Precinct will move from City Marketplace to Palm Harbor Way, in the old Wachovia bank building that will be county property.
Rift Widens Between Sheriff and School Board Over Deputies’ Cost For Flagler Schools
At least an $88,000 rift divides Flagler’s sheriff from the school board as they negotiate to have deputies at every school come August. The divide may be larger when mental health money is included.
20-Year Sheriff’s Employee Fired After Investigations Into Timesheet Discrepancies
Nancy Birdsong, an employee in the judicial process fugitive unit, was fired on April 24 and faces a felony charge of grand theft over allegedly fabricating timesheets.
AR-15s in Flagler Schools, Traffic Cops in Mustangs, New Marine Unit: Sheriff Staly’s State of Policing
Flagler Sheriff Rick Staly spoke to some 75 people Thursday on a re-energized state of policing in Palm Coast and the county, summing up initiatives and coming developments.
Spirit Ride’s Coffin Honoring Fallen Tow Operators and Other Emergency Responders Makes Ceremonial Stop in Bunnell
The ceremonial casket is part of American Towman’s Spirit Ride pilgrimage through 200 cities across the country to bring attention to the dangers emergency responders face every day.
7 New Sheriff’s Deputies, 143% Cost Increase as Outline of Flagler’s School Safety Takes Shape
Sheriff Staly and Superintendent Tager are negotiating an increase of the school deputies’ program to $1.8 million split 50-50, with the schools’ share paid by the state and the sheriff’s by the County Commission.
Sheriff Staly’s Heimlich Saves Elected Party Official’s Life at Candidate Forum
Sharon Demers, an elected Republican state committeewoman and a former candidate for school board, was choking when Staly successfully executed a Heimlich maneuver on her.
Flagler Sheriff’s Corporal Counseled Over Racial Slur, Latest Revelation Since November
James Miley, a Flagler County Sheriff’s corporal, was counseled verbally in February after a deputy reported that Miley had used a racial slur while referring to a Latino subordinate.
Sheriff’s Jail Deputy Suspended After Reporting to Work Drunk; Supervisory Issues a Concern
Flagler Sheriff’s detention deputy Mark Sousa’s alcohol test recorded him at 0.096 and 0.093 four hours into his shift–the four hours it took supervisors to react to an employee’s repeated request to intervene.
A Flagler Sheriff’s Employee Faces Grand Theft Charge, Again Implicating Courthouse Squad; Attorney Calls It “A Witch-Hunt”
Nancy Birdsong, a 20-year civilian employee with the Flagler Sheriff’s Office, is the third courthouse-connected employee to face disciplinary action, and inquiries are not over.