Ronald Salyer, a 55-year-old resident of Middleburg in for Biketoberfest, was killed in a fiery crash on U.S. 1 at County Road 304 late Saturday night when his motorcycle collided head-on with a van that had driven into his lane.
Cops/Courts
Allen Shepard, 32, Critically Injured in Bike Wreck at US1 and Matanzas Woods
Biketoberfest 2013 officially began on Oct. 17. At 8:20 p.m. Friday (Oct. 18), Flagler County registered its first serious victim, Allen Brice Shepard, 32, of St. Augustine, who was flown to Halifax Hospital after the wreck at US1 and Matanzas Woods.
A 2-Year-Old’s Life Saved and a Murder Suspect’s Arrest Headline Sheriff’s 3rd Quarter Awards
Communications Supervisor Genice Caccavale was one of three department employees to win Employee of the Quarter awards, Sheriff Jim Manfre announced this week. Also winning were Detective Mark Moy and Detention Deputy Randy Vickers.
Hubert L. Grimes, First Black Judge in 7th Circuit, Will Retire After 25 Years on the Bench
Volusia County Circuit Judge Hubert L. Grimes, the first black judge to serve on County Court, will retire from the Seventh Judicial Circuit, effective Jan. 30, 2014, after 25 years on the bench. The Seventh Circuit includes Volusia, Flagler, St. Johns and Putnam counties.
Embry-Riddle Training Plane’s Door Crashes to Pavement at 16 College Court in Palm Coast
A canopy door from a two-engine plane belonging to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University came undone during a training run over Palm Coast’s C-Section around 4:30 p.m. Thursday and fell to earth, slamming the pavement within yards of several houses around a cul-de-sac. No one was injured on the ground, and the pilot and trainee aboard the plane made it safely back to the Flagler County Airport.
Two-Truck Wreck Spills Oil and Diverts Traffic on I-95 Bridge Over SR100
A segment of I-95 south at State Road 100 in Palm Coast was closed for over six hours from 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to 4:30 Thursday morning following a wreck involving three trucks, one of which was on another’s flatbed.
At Death’s Door 15 Months Ago, Firefighter Mike Pius Leads Life-Saving Water Rescue With Flagler’s Marine Unit
Flagler County Fire Rescue’s Marine Unit, led by Lt. Mike Pius and John-Edward Raffo, saved an Indiana visitor from the surf Monday in the Hammock. Pius 15 months ago was in critical condition after a truck ran into his scooter. His recovery lasted seven months, and Monday’s rescue showed him–and his crew–in full form.
Matt Doughney Named Flagler Beach’s Police Chief (But Just Call Him Captain)
City Manager Bruce Campbell will be naming Matt Doughney, the former Daytona Beach cop and Avon Park police chief, Flagler Beach’s new police chief. Doughney will have the title of captain and be paid $58,000 a year.
Charges of “Redneck” and “Cracker” Trigger Gunshots and Arrest Over a Truck’s Donuts
Joshua Spencer, a 43-year-old resident of the Mondex (Daytona North), was arrested Sunday evening after allegedly hitting a man and firing a .357-caliber gun at his truck after blaming the man of doing donuts on Spencer’s property.
Rebecca Sedwick Suicide: Two Middle School Girls, 12 and 14, Arrested on Aggravated Stalking Charges
12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick’s suicide in Lakeland on Sept. 10 was the latest of a growing list of children taking their own life after being maligned, threatened and taunted online, mostly through a new collection of texting and photo-sharing cellphone applications.
23-Year-Old Charged With DUI Manslaughter Over Deaths of Lane Burnsed and Meredith Smith
Louis Prinzo, a 23-year-old resident of Ormond Beach, was arrested on eight charges, including four felonies, in the deaths of Lane Burnsed, 19 at the time of the July 26 wreck on I-95, and Meredith Smith, 17 at the time. Burnsed’s family issued a statement remarkable for its forbearance regarding Prinzo’s arrest.
CSI Flagler: Sheriff Launches Crime Lab and Inks $75,000 Deal With Private DNA Lab
Anticipating the day when FDLE’s crime labs will not be as readily accessible, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office is investing in a crime scene investigator of its own, a mobile CSI unit, and a $75,000 annual contract with DNA Labs International, a private company, to more aggressively use DNA testing in property crimes.
Stolen Car Found Submerged, and Empty, at Palm Coast’s Hershel King Park
The vehicle, a late-model Kia Optima, was stolen in Broward County in the past 24-48 hours, and had been dumped at Hershel King Park’s boat ramp.
Crime Stoppers Hand Out $5,000 Reward, Largest Yet, for Tip Leading to Mobil Murder Arrest
The anonymous tipster helped lead to the arrest of Joseph Bova, who faces first-degree murder charge in the execution-style killing of Zuheily Rosado in Palm Coast on Feb. 21. Crime Stoppers upped its rewards for tips in homicide investigations from $1,000 to $5,000.
24-Ton Recycling Waste Pro Truck, Full to Capacity, Overturns in Palm Coast’s R-Section
A 24-ton Waste Pro recycling truck that was near the end of its run for the day overturned and crashed on its side on Palm Coast’s Reybury Lane at 3:15 this afternoon, slightly injury its driver, Bob Ackerman.
XBox Murders Ringleader Victorino Closer to Execution as He Loses Supreme Court Appeal
Troy Victorino lost his latest appear in a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court Thursday. He was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and numerous other charges, including the abuse of a dead human body, and sentenced to death for the killings at a Deltona home in 2004.
Flagler’s Public Safety Council Endorses Court-Ordering Ex-Felons to Evangelical Recovery House
The council—a collection of local police, court and other government agencies—provided the endorsement sight unseen and legalities untested, and based exclusively on a brief presentation by Charles Silano, the local pastor. Open Door Re-Entry and Recovery Ministry will be run out of a former church on Booe Street in Bunnell.
Town Hall Road Show: Residents Grill 4 Local Governments’ Heads in Freewheeling Forum
A 90-minute town hall forum brought some 50 people to the Palm Coast Community Center to grill and hear Flagler County Commission Chairman Nate McLaughlin, Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre, School Board Chairman Andy Dance, and Palm Coast City Council member Jason DeLorenzo address a long list of public concerns in a rare and informal cross-agency discussion.
FPC Student Detained for Bringing Alcohol on a School Bus; 2 Arrested Over Stolen Gun
The 15-year-old student allegedly confessed to drinking alcohol at a bus stop, and bringing the drink on board the bus, which he then spilled when confronted. Kenneth James Kirsch Jr., 20, and Michael Shawn McRoberts Jr., 17, of Palm Coast, were arrested after a police raid on a Zoeller Court over a gun stolen in late September in the F Section.
Bank of America Robber Kevin Cotterman Is Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison, No Parole
Kevin Cotterman, the 42-year-old serial bank robber who stole $805 from the Palm Coast Bank of America branch on Palm Coast Parkway in May 2012, was sentenced today (Oct. 8) to 15 years in prison, with no possibility of parole, by Flagler County Circuit Judge J. David Walsh.
Arthur Jones, Former Bunnell Police Chief And Civic Activist, Is Dead at 61
Arthur Jones, Bunnell’s police chief for four years until 2012 and a founder of the Alliance of Involved Ministries who relished his role as a mentor to children and youth, has died. He was 61.
Sheriff Defends Not Filing Report After His Department Car Is Scraped in Out-of-State Personal Trip
When Flagler Sheriff Jim Manfre took his department-issued Dodge Charger to Virginia to see family in August, the car was scraped while parked, requiring $250 to $350 in repairs. No incident report was filed. A local shop did the repairs for free, outside the county’s bidding process, though Manfre had reported it to fleet management.
Should Cops Have Power to Track You in Real Time Through Cell Phones? Court Will Decide.
Grappling with privacy rights amid fast-changing technology, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a challenge to police using “real-time” cell-phone information to track a suspect in a drug case.
Shawn Dyer, 38, Accused of Growing Pot for a Year in Seminole Woods House; 20 lb Seized
Shawn Dyer had allegedly bypassed the house on 2nd Path’s electric meter to keep an elaborate marijuana growing operation going. An estimated 6.5 pounds of packaged marijuana, worth $19,500, was found in the house, among other related items.
Ex-Bunnell Police Chief Jeff Hoffman Sworn in as Sheriff’s Chief Deputy
Senior Commander Jeff Hoffman will oversee the agencies Neighborhood Services Division, the largest within the Sheriff’s Office, essentially filling the chief deputy’s role previously occupied by Paul Bovino, who’s on medical leave, and David O’Brien, who was forced top resign earlier this year.
What The Live Grenade Looked Like On Palm Coast Parkway Crosswalk
FlaglerLive obtained an image of the grenade discovered on a Palm Coast Parkway crosswalk Tuesday evening, as the image was relayed to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad through a robotic camera. The grenade was destroyed that evening.
Flagler Beach Police “Captain”: Last Three Candidates Make Their Pitch to the Community
Steve Clair, Matthew Doughney and Joe Sisti appeared in a semi-formal setting before some 35 people, including the whole membership of the Flagler Beach City Commission, who gathered at city hall to hear the candidates for police captain and mingle with them.
For 3 Gallons of Gas: Suspect Chased and Arrested After Theft from Cline Construction
John Mancuso, 50, of Palm Coast faces a burglary and felony fleeing and eluding charges after allegedly stealing three gallons of gas in a 30-gallon fuel drum from Cline Construction’s fuel depot on Utility Drive, off of Old Kings Road, Wednesday evening.
Bomb Squad Removes Live Grenade Found at Belle Terre and Palm Coast Parkway Intersection
Authorities confirmed that the object found at the intersection of Palm Coast Parkway and Belle Terre around 6 p.m. Tuesday was a live grenade, an Mk 2 that the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office’s bomb squad secured and took to a different location to detonate. There were no injuries.
Sheriff Fires Roster for “Job Abandonment,” Capping 14 Months of Turmoil for Deputy
Roster, who joined the Sheriff’s Office in 2001, rose to the rank of Sergeant and was the agency’s 2010 officer of the year, was the subject of an internal affairs investigation triggered by men in his own squad last year, who claimed he was collecting thousands of dollars for time he wasn’t actually working.
Facebook Advances to 15- and 16-Year-Old Girls and Rendezvous Lead to 30-Year-Old’s Arrest
Michael Lee King is a 30-year-old resident of 1521 Hickory Street in Bunnell, exchanged suggestive text messages with girls and scheduled a meeting at PetSmart in palm Coast, where he was arrested by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies on Monday.
Two-Vehicle Wreck Shuts Down Belle Terre Parkway South, at Pine Lakes
For the second time in six hours on Flagler’s roads, a vehicle wreck resulted in devastating damage to cars, but no injuries to the people driving them.
“That’s One Lucky Young Lady”: 23-Year-Old Survives as Truck Flips Into Waterlogged Ditch
23-year-old Carlene Murphy survived what could have been a grisly accident at 10:15 Monday morning on SR100, west of Bunnell, as her pick-up overturned and ended up in a waterlogged ditch.
Bill Would Grant Immunity From Harsh Sentences for Firing Warning Shots
A bill filed by a Polk County lawmaker is intended to address what he called “the negative, unintended consequences” of Florida’s 10-20-Life sentencing law by granting immunity to people who fire warning shots to protect themselves and others. The new bill was filed on the same day that the 1st District Court of Appeal ordered a new trial for Marissa Alexander, a Jacksonville woman sentenced to a mandatory 20 years in prison for a shot fired during a domestic dispute in her home.
A Man Is Accused of Dragging and Running Over His Girlfriend Off Palm Coast Parkway
When Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy Frank Gamarra arrived at the Palm Coast Parkway scene at 8 p.m. Thursday, Toni Bater, a 50-year-old Palm Coast resident, was lying on the ground with severe injuries to her legs, arms and head and bruising to her right eye. She was in the parking lot of West Point Plaza, […]
Appeal Court Orders New Trial for Marissa Alexander, But No Redo on Stand Your Ground
Marissa Alexander, a 32-year-old mother of three, was convicted on improper self-defense instructions to the jury, the court ruled. Alexander was serving a 20-year sentence for shooting a gun during an argument with her abusive husband, against whom she had a restraining order.
SWAT Team Deployed Again–For Minor Drug Arrest on Palm Coast’s Pine Grove Drive
Two young children and a middle-aged woman were detained while, for the second time in four days, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday deployed its SWAT team to serve a warrant on a suspect later charged with possession of marijuana, cocaine, and prescription pills without a prescription.
Florida Prisoners Will Wash Dishes and Sew Their Own Clothes in Bid to Save Money
Florida’s prisons have a $45.5 million deficit despite shuttering 10 prisons in recent years, so department head Mike Crews is finding new ways to save money, including refusing to replace broken dishwashers and making inmates do the work instead.
Prescription-Pill and Alcohol Deaths in Flagler Far Outpace Those From Illegal Drugs
The annual medical examiners’ report for Florida, including Flagler’s numbers, put in sharp perspective common misconceptions and exaggerations—by media, police and lawmakers—about the nature and extent of the drug problem, highlighting the relatively minor part played by illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine, and the virtually nonexistent part played by marijuana or synthetic pot.
Legislature Considering Tougher Crackdowns on Sexual Predators in Wake of New Findings
DCF has been recommending fewer and fewer sex offenders for confinement, with the number falling from a high of 228 in 2000 — two years after the law went into effect — to a low of 19 in 2012.
Sheriff Busts Meth Lab in Palm Coast’s R-Section, Arresting Same Suspect Twice in 24 Hours
Micahel Marsh, 30, was arrested in the Friday bust at 6 Raeitan Way, where he lived with Amber Troha, 19, and others. After bonding out, Marsh was re-arrested the next day, along with Troha and Virdell Myers, 28, on charges of possessing prescription drugs without a prescription, among other charges.
Rapid Response Limits Fire as Lawnmower Sets Garage Ablaze on Palm Coast’s Woodward Lane
The Palm Coast Fire Department’s rapid response–about eight minutes between the call to 911 and the time water was on the flames–helped limit the fire damage to a house at 36 Woodward Lane, where a lawnmower is believed to have started a blaze that demolished the garage.
FDLE Lays Down Florida Capitol Garrison Rule to Avoid Repeat of Summer Protests
Under the proposal by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, members of the public would be expected to leave the Capitol building by 5 p.m. each weekday or within 30 minutes of the end of public meetings. Capitol police could arrest for trespassing anyone who didn’t leave when they were told.
Ex-Flagler Tax Collector’s Son C. John Pellicer, 31, Killed in Midnight Wreck on CR2006
Claude John Pellicer, 31, the son of former Flagler County Tax Collector Suzette Pellicer, was killed late Thursday night on County Road 2006 in Flagler, not far from his home when he lost control of the pick-up truck he was driving.
Dispute Over Possibly Improper Rate Hikes Pits FPL’s 1% Against 99% of Customers
The state Supreme Court took up a challenge Thursday to hundreds of millions of dollars in rate increases approved last year for Florida Power & Light ij an agreement one Justice said reflected the wishes of 1 percent of commercial users against the wishes of 99 percent of FPL’s remaining customers.
Accused of Abusing a 4-Year-Old Boy With a Belt in April, He’s Arrested Only Wednesday
Luis Betancourt-Rodriguez was charged with child abuse after allegedly hitting a 4-year-old with a belt buckle in April, and with aggravated battery after allegedly striking a man in the face and causing him to almost lose his vision in one eye, but Betancourt-Rodriguez was not arrested until a traffic stop on Wednesday that revealed two arrest warrants.
As a Cat Lay Dying, He Drove Drunk to a Vet, But Court Finds Him Guilty of DUI Anyway
The cat Christopher Brooks was taking to a vet died at roadside as he was being given field sobriety tests, despite its owners’ please to the cop. But his DUI conviction was upheld by a Hillsborough County appeal court that declared that special circumstances don;t apply to cats as they would to human beings.
ACLU Sues Florida DMV for Suspending Licenses of Those Too Poor to Pay Court Costs
More than 200,000 Florida drivers have had their licenses suspended for failure to pay legal fees as of the start of 2013–fees that are unrelated to penalties associated with their sentence. The suspensions disproportionately affect poor people, who, without a car, have even fewer means to hold a job and make good on payments.
Nine Interviewed for Revamped Top Cop Post in Flagler Beach as Dan Cody Era Ends
The nine men (possibly 10) being interviewed by a four-man board in Flagler Beach are ex-cops, but they’ll be hired as captain of the police department, as City Manager Bruce Campbell has eliminated the police chief position and reduced its pay from $70,000 to $58,000.
Sheriff Manfre Drafts the Press to Fight The Bogus Epidemic of Fake Pot
The bogus drug-bust news conference was a specialty of former Sheriff Don Fleming, as it has been for innumerable police agencies since the dawn of Nixon;s war on drugs since 1971. Last week, Sheriff Jim Manfre unfortunately joined the parade, this time amplifying fears of a fake epidemic of fake pot.
